Phoenix rising
by galadriel3562
Summary: Set during and after Flight of the Phoenix spoilers for that ep
1. Chapter 1

Laura dropped the file back on the exam bed and folded her arms in front of her chest, refusing to allow the doctor to see her hands trembling. "How long?"

"Weeks." Cottle answered, with something of sympathy in his gruff voice. "A month at the utmost."

Laura flinched, feeling as if someone had just punched her in the gut. She had known she was dying, had known for months now. She'd also known her condition was getting worse, she tired so easily these days, didn't have much of an appetite and had lost weight. But there was a difference between knowing all that and learning that you only had about 30 days left to live.

Abruptly she turned away from the doctor, fighting her tears as she disappeared behind a curtain. She didn't want Cottle to see the stark fear that welled up inside of her. She didn't want anyone to see. For a long moment she stood, hugging herself as she fought to control her emotions. It took her a little while, but she finally managed to get her barriers back up, pushing the fear and despair into a small corner of her mind, cementing them away behind thick walls of indestructible durasteel.

When she was sure her composure was once more adequate she walked back out and faced Cottle.

"Will I be able to work?"

"Yes, unless the cancer moves to your brain, then…" She shook her head sharply, feeling no need to hear the possibility spoken out loud, she knew what it would be like, she'd already seen it happen once before.

----------------------------------------------------

Somehow she wound up back in his quarters. She had no recollection of making the trip from LifeStation to here, one moment she blinked and was surrounded by the warmth and soft light of his private quarters. Rows upon rows of books some stacked haphazardly across every flat surface. Papers lay strew across his desk, with only a mild semblance of order to them.

Abruptly the reality of the doctor's words hit her square in the chest, stealing the breath from her lungs and the strength from her knees. She tried to make it to the couch but failed and fell to the floor as sobs started raking through her body. With the hatch secured there was no one that would see her and in that one moment she let everything pour out of her, crying out against the injustice of it all she railed in the silence of his quarters, hugging herself tightly as she pressed her face into the rug, tears flowing unrestrained.

She had no idea how much time had passed when there were finally no more tears left to cry. Slowly she became aware of the fact that she was lying curled up on the floor of the Admiral's quarters, her back pressed against the sofa. Carefully she pushed herself up into a sitting position and with some effort she managed to lever herself up onto the couch. She was barefoot, having already lost her shoes somewhere. She didn't bother to look for them but rather sat and drew several shaking breaths before attempting to stand.

Her legs threatened to buckle under her again but she gritted her teeth and forced herself to remain standing. Through sheer force of will the weakness subsided a little and she started to make her way into the private section of the Admiral's quarters in search of a sink and a mirror.

As she emerged from the bathroom she thought she managed to look presentable again. On the inside she still felt like she were made of spun glass and would shatter at even the lightest pressure but at least she no longer looked like it. She stopped for a moment and closed her eyes, drawing another deep breath to prepare herself for what needed to be done. A wave of despair and futility hit her as she dredged up her schedule from memory. She really didn't think she could handle another meeting about rations at this point. She let out a trembling sigh and opened her eyes. She glanced around for a phone and located one beside the Admiral's bed. It took her only a moment to figure out how it worked, she'd seen him use similar devices often enough by now.

"CIC." Dee said crisply in her ear as she lifted the horn.

"Petty officer Dualla," She answered. "Would you put me through to Billy please?"

"Sure, ma'am." Dee answered and raised Colonial One on the wireless.

It took her but a moment to tell Billy what she wanted. It took a little longer to sidestep the concerned questions that followed her request. But Billy knew when not to push and after she flat out refused to answer his questions he dropped the subject and told her he'd clear her schedule for the rest of the day.

As she hung up on Billy she let out a silent sigh. Closing her eyes she leaned her head against the cool metal of the wall for a moment. She knew she was shirking her duty and responsibility. There was so much work that needed to be done, so many choices that needed to be made. But at this very moment she couldn't bring herself to care. She was dying, and she needed a little time to adjust herself to the ultimatum the doctor had given her. As she pushed away from the wall she opened her eyes and looked around, wondering what she was going to do with her time now that she had it.

It was only as she took that moment to really look that she realized where she was precisely. She was standing in the Admiral's private quarters. That in itself was nothing new, he'd offered her the use of his quarters before and she'd taken him up on that offer often enough. But in all those times she had never made it to this section before. She'd always stayed in the larger more public area that doubled as his living room and office, she'd never stepped into what she now realized had to be his bedroom. She was in fact standing less than half an arm length away from his bed. She stood perfectly still as she glanced down at the dark blue blanket, neatly folded and tucked in tight around the mattress. She marveled at the precision and care that had been invested into such a simple and mundane task.

Her hand trembled ever so slightly as she reached down and brushed her fingertips across the blanket. Inside her mind she imagined him lying here at night, sound asleep, this very blanket tucked in around him, brushing up against his bare skin. The image left her feeling weak in the knees for a completely different reason.

She almost laughed at herself, today was certainly proving to be an emotional rollercoaster, one moment she was crying over her impending doom and the next she was indulging herself in a forbidden desire. And yet, maybe it was only natural. Today she had been confronted with the worst news any human being could get, wasn't it only normal that her thoughts ran in the complete opposite direction? From the most horrible thing in her life to the thing she treasured most?

As she ran her hand up to the pillows she wondered if he knew how she felt about him. He might, there had certainly been moments between them that had seemed... electrified. Their dance together on Colonial Day was one such moment. And of course that faithful day when he came to Kobol and sat across from her under a tarp, offering forgiveness when she hadn't asked to be forgiven.

But through it all there had never been a single unambiguous moment. Each of those small gestures might still be nothing more than the chief military officer being courteous with the President of the Colonies. Even their recent habit to use one another's first name rather than their tittles when they were alone might mean… nothing.

She had always put off trying to find out if there was truly something there. Telling herself that she would make the time, someday. But with only a month left when would that time be? Abruptly she decided that she'd find out today.

------------------------------------------------------

He stepped into his quarters, his head down, reading over the last fuel reports. He closed the door behind him, spinning the lock without looking up. He made his way over to his desk, reaching up and starting to unbutton his uniform.

"Bill?" He stopped abruptly, startled by the sound of a familiar voice coming from the shadows obscuring his couch. He blinked when he found Laura Roslin sitting there. He had offered her the use of his quarters while she conducted meetings aboard Galactica. But he had known she had an appointment with doc Cottle in the morning, and several meetings afterwards and had frankly not expected her to still be here, much less alone. Nor had he expected her to look like she did. She had discarded the jacket of her suit and taken off her shoes and right now she was sitting on his couch with her legs drawn up, the edge of her skirt hiked up halfway her thighs.

"Laura?" He put aside the reports, forgotten, as he made his way over to her. She extended a hand to him, and he took it, frowning as he felt how cold it lay in his palm.

"Gods," He whispered, settling down on the couch beside her. "You're freezing." He folded her hand into both of his own and started to rub it, hoping to warm the skin. She said nothing, only sat there, looking at him. He was beginning to truly worry now, there was something about her, something in her pale skin and luminous green eyes that unsettled him. He opened his mouth to ask what was wrong but never got the chance.

Abruptly she leaned forward, putting her other hand on his chest as she pressed her mouth to his. There was nothing gentle about the way she kissed him, it was an assault, executed with a military precision that left the Commander reeling. He surrendered without offering any resistance and opened his mouth to the insistent push of her lips and tongue, groaning in the back of his throat as he put his arms around her and drew her to his chest. She flowed against him willingly, her arms slipping around his waist as she took the taste of him.

Time had lost all meaning and when their kiss broke the Commander wondered how long it had been, it had felt like an eternity, eternity spent in heaven. His heart was pounding in his chest, his breathing heavy and ragged as he leaned his brow against hers, feeling the warmth of her breath on his cheeks as he ran his tongue across his lips, sampling her sweet taste.

"Make love to me, Bill." She whispered. He looked at her, blue eyes meeting green. There was something there, something that had only been hinted at before. Something they had both felt but until now had not acted upon. He never asked her if she was sure, she was, and so was he. Instead he returned the favor and kissed her, hard and passionate as he slid his hands down her back to her waist.

"How do I…" She whispered urgently as she tugged with frustration at his uniform jacket.

"Here." He whispered, between a series of breathless kisses trailing down her jaw and neck, he took her hand into his own, brought it to the latch hidden within the folds of his uniform. Once released she hurriedly undid the remaining buttons and brushed it back, off his shoulders. Raking her fingers over the exposed skin she moaned into his mouth as his hands undid the buttons of her blouse and found the skin underneath. He smiled briefly as he felt the soft fabric of the undershirt she was wearing and slipped his hands underneath. He groaned as his hand moved up to find that she wasn't wearing her bra. He cupped her breast in his hand, running the edge of his thumb along the already hardening nipple. She broke away briefly from their kiss and grabbed two handfuls of his uniform jacket.

"Get this off!" She growled against his cheek as she strained under the line of kisses he was drawing across her jaw. He complied without argument, withdrawing his hand from her breast to shrug off his jacket. She reached for his tanks immediately, yanking them out of his belt in a desperate need for his warm skin underneath her fingertips. She pushed them up across his torso, pressing her palms against his skin, trilled to feel the warmth of him, the ripple of his muscles as he drew her once more into his arms.

Gods she needed this. Warmth, life. Someone to hold onto and forget for just a moment that she was dying. - _Weeks, a month at the utmost -_ Cottle's words rang through her mind, a dissonant note interrupting the delicate vibration caused by William Adama's hands on her bare skin. She stifled a moan, one that had nothing to do with pleasure, against his shoulder, digging her fingers into his back. He withdrew from her a little, not far, only so that he could catch her eyes, giving her a quizzing look. She didn't answer the unspoken question but rather pressed her body against his, meaning to have as much of her bare skin touching his.

"Frak me, Bill." She whispered into his ear, unable to hide the note of urgency that had nothing to do with her mounting desire. If he heard her fear he didn't call her on it, perhaps he simply mistook her emotion for desire. He did however respond to her request and slipped his hands over her shoulders, pushing her blouse away. Her undershirt quickly followed. As did his tanks. He drew her into his arms once more, lowering his hands to her buttocks he pulled her squarely onto his lap, where she could feel his arousal pressing up against her thigh. She kissed him deeply, invading his mouth with her tongue and even as she ran one hand up into his hair she reached down with the other, touching her fingertips to the evidence of his desire.

She was on her back on his couch, the cool leather pressed against her skin. A skin that was no longer cold but rather sizzling hot and beginning to glister with sweat. The cold had been driven away completely, and with it the fatigue and pain. She felt alive again, more so than she had in quite a while. She moaned and arched her back against his mouth, which was firmly pressed between her thighs. One hand entangled in his hair, she used the other to cup her own breast, heightening the pleasure that his tongue and lips were causing in her body.

"Oh, Bill, please!" She cried as he slipped a finger into her and gently probed her depth. She could feel him smirk against the soft skin of her thigh as he planted a kiss there and continued his gentle torture. Her pleas soon dissolved into incoherent sounds of the purest pleasure as she felt her body beginning to spiral out of control. It wasn't long before he brought her to the edge one last time and finally pushed her over.

Even as she slowly started to drift down from the peaks of complete and utter bliss he didn't stop. His finger continued to stroke gently deep inside her, catching her in her decent and lifting her up again as he put his mouth to her clit and gently circled it with his tongue.

She had lost all perspective of the world around her, the entire universe had been compressed into their two bodies, but this time around she wanted all of him. Tugging at his hair she pulled him up, her skin tingling like mad as his body covered her own.

"I want you." She breathed, her voice hoarse with desire and the aftermath of her orgasm. "Inside me." She added even as she reached down to his groin and found the evidence of his desire. She closed her hand around it as she kissed him. Tasting herself on his lips and tongue. He groaned deeply into their kiss as she ran her hand up the length of him, squeezing lightly. He wasn't especially long, but gods he was thick. Even now she couldn't quite fit her hand all around him.

Kissing him deeply she ran her hand down to the hilt and spread the tips of her fingers into the thick curls at the base. He responded to her touch by leaning into her, his tongue penetrating her mouth as he shifted his body to take most of his weight on his elbow, positioning his hips above her own. She spread her legs for him, opening herself to his invasion as she guided him in. He broke off their kiss just before and took her chin into his hand, forcing her to look at him.

"Give me your eyes." He whispered huskily. The sound of his voice was gravel wrapped in silk and hummed across her nerves like wildfire. She did as he asked, gazing deeply into the maelstrom of blue fire as she felt his hand travel down her chest, brushing past her breast and across her stomach to were her own hand was still enclosed around him. He wrapped his hand around hers as he eased forward, brushing up against her. She moaned softly, letting go of him to wrap both her arms around his waist and digging her fingers into the small of his back, urging him to go deeper. His hand shifted to her thigh, rounding to grab on of her buttocks as he pushed further. For a brief moment there was pain, it had been a while since she had a man inside of her, and she'd never had one quite this thick. He noticed her flinch and halted, starting to withdraw as a look of concern crossed his face.

"No!" Laura rasped, digging her fingers into his back as she trusted her hips upwards. He groaned with her sudden movement and then held perfectly still. She could see the strain of it in his face and eyes as he spoke.

"Laura, I don't want to hurt you." She smiled, he might have hurt her a little, but it was the sweetest pain she had ever felt, and she had no intention of giving it up ever again.

"You won't." She whispered back, pushing her pelvis tight against his, a silent confirmation of her words. He smiled ever so faintly and then leaned over her, pressing his mouth to hers and taking all of her. He pushed fully inside of her, filling her up even as his tongue mimicked the penetration. She held on to him tightly, wanting more of him still.

He set up a soft rhythm, withdrawing and then pushing back into her in a slow, rocking motion that reduced her to wordless, incoherent moans of pleasure before long. She had wanted to remain in control, wanted to give back some of the pleasure he had already bestowed on her, but she found it impossible. He was firmly in control here, she could see it in his face as he worked steadily to lift her up again, straining against his own impulses. And she gladly surrendered to him, willingly melting into his arms and following the guide of his gentle whispers, the touch of his hands. Before long her surrender was rewarded as she once more exploded with pleasure, and her orgasm finally put a crack in the iron self control of Commander William Adama.

She could see it, even as she quaked in his arms and cried out his name in ecstasy. He held still for the briefest of moments, leaving her full attention to savor the emotional and physical peak. But once the height of it passed he once more resumed his thrust into her, abandoning his previous languid rhythm in favor of a quicker pace. She welcomed him, using him shamelessly to prolong her own pleasure but wanting to see him come apart as well.

She rocked her hips in counterpoint to his thrust, clenching her muscles around him each time he hit bottom. And watched in delight when his control slipped and finally shattered as he pushed deep inside of her one final time. He gasped out her name against her throat and held her tightly as he emptied himself into her.

He almost collapsed on top of her, but managed to catch himself just in time and slid off to the side. Ever the gentleman, even after frakking her nearly senseless. She grinned at the notion, even as she felt tears brimming in her eyes. Blinking furiously she pushed them back, she wouldn't frak this up by breaking down now. She wanted to savor this moment, this one time when she was not the president or the dying prophet, right now she was Laura Roslin, a woman who needed to be loved like any other. She rolled with him, burying her face in the small nock between his shoulder and neck as she wrapped her arms around his chest.

--------------------------------------------------------------------

The Admiral stalked into the CIC decidedly grumpy about being called down. It had forced him to leave Laura Roslin sitting cross-legged on his couch, with not a stitch on her. He had never been more tempted to leave Tigh to deal with this crisis on his own. But as he saw Lee standing with Tigh and Gaeta something of his annoyance drained away and was replaced with concern.

"Sitrep." He said as he made his way over to the three men.

"The environmental computer decided that the fire range was over pressurized and started bleeding out air to compensate." Gaeta said, a heavy note to his voice and a slump in his shoulders that hadn't been there before.

"Two more minutes and we would have been dead." Lee said, his voice gruff but steady.

"Power fluctuations. Equipment failures." Adama said.

"Sir I think I found what's causing it." Gaeta said, and tapped a few buttons on his console, a moment later his screen showed a long procession of code then flickered with static before continuing.

"What is that?" Tigh asked.

"A cylon logic bomb," Baltar answered. "A heuristic computer virus, it's capable of learning, evolving, probably running in parallel with every computer on the ship, just waiting to be activated. No doubt left behind when the Cylons infiltrated the network colonel Tigh set up, the day you were shot."

"That was weeks ago. Why now?" Adama asked.

"Most likely sir, it took that long for it to crack our encrypted pass codes and once that happened it started testing its ability to control our systems, electrical, environmental…" Gaeta's voice trailed away as the consequences of his words sank in.

"How do you kill it?"

"That is the tricky part if it is a cylon virus it is extremely difficult to eradicate." Baltar stated.

"Well I guess I'm pretty lucky then." Adama grumbled, "Because I have an expert on board." Something flickered in Baltar's eyes, a touch of pride perhaps, the Commander never saw it as he had turned to Tigh. "Tell Helo to run this past our prisoner." Adama was about to turn away when Baltar slithered up to him. It took the Commander a moment to keep his feelings about the vice-president from showing too clearly on his face.

"Commander perhaps I should sit in." Baltar said, "My expertise may prove useful."

"Mr. vice president I don't think that will be necessary." Adama answered gruffly, watching the man fiddle in front of him.

"You are going to let them talk to each other unmonitored?"

"I think you have enough work on your plate already." The Commander answered, close to snapping at the man. Baltar blinked, but the Commander had already turned away.

"I understand." Baltar said to the Commander's back. "Completely."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

He was still brooding as he stepped into his quarters, finding Laura packing up her papers.

"Madam President." He said, well aware of the fact that the hatch was open and there were marines right outside. Still he couldn't quite keep a certain warmth from creeping into his voice. "Your shuttle is ready."

Laura didn't look up but continued to pack. "Of course. Thank you again for letting me use your quarters." Adama frowned at the oddly distant tone of her voice. "Please." He offered. He turned back glancing over his shoulder at the marines.

"I wanted to return this." Laura said, drawing his attention back to her. He found her holding out a book to him and took it without much thought, glancing down at the cover. '_Dark Day'_ Abruptly he froze and looked at her.

"This was a gift." He finally said. Still she wouldn't look at him, continuing to stuff papers into her bag.

"Never lend a book I know." She said, smiling ever so faintly. "But I've had it far too long. Belongs in your collection." She put away the last of her papers and finally turned to look at him. Finding him looking at her, frowning.

Adama stared at the woman in front of him, still holding the book between them. Perhaps he was reading far too much into this but as he looked at her, took note of her pale skin, the shadows beneath her eyes and recalled how frail and thin she had felt under his hands not too long ago it finally struck home. She was dying. Soon. Her smile was slightly strained as she held her bag in front of her, unconsciously shielding herself from him.

"I'm late for a quorom meeting." She said, and started to turn but stopped as he didn't move. "Is there a problem?" There were a thousand things he wanted to say, but above all else he wanted to draw her into his arms and whisper into her ear that it was all going to be all right. That he loved her and would fight for her, tooth and nail. But when he finally opened his mouth he said nothing of the sort.

"Our computers have been infected by a cylon virus, corrupting systems throughout the entire ship. And I've just been notified that this is a prelude to an all-out attack by the cylons." For a moment Laura said or did nothing. Then she smiled ever so faintly, realizing that if she let herself she could truly love this man. For treating her like a woman, for expecting her to live up to her duties even when he knew she was dying. For the respect he bestowed on her. He could easily have taken this matter into his own hands, claiming it was a military matter, which it was. Instead he was talking to her about it.

"I assume you've tried to disable it." She said, setting down her bag. Adama nodded. "Mr. Gaeta and the vice president are handling that right now, but I'm not hopeful."

"Commander I'm not sure what I can offer you here besides my moral support."

"Actually madam president I could use your advice."

They had settled down at the table, and she sat across from him, her hands folded together.

"I've just come from seeing our cylon prisoner." He said, his voice taking on an oddly flat tone. "She's offering a possible solution to the problem."

"And you are wondering if you can trust her." Laura said. Something very cold stirred in his eyes as he spoke, his voice gruff with emotion.

"Took everything I have not to put my hands around her throat," He said, then sighed and raised a hand to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I can't believe I'm contemplating this."

"We both know the Cylons are experts at manipulations. They will do anything to confuse you."

"This is not the one who shot me." He offered, countering her argument, but not with much zeal.

"Can they really be that different from one another?" She offered in turn. When he said nothing she continued on. "Commander, if you are asking me if it is possible that your judgment has been clouded by your history with this particular Cylon model, I'd have to say yes." He glanced at her but there was no reproach in his eyes. "But," She continued. "We created them. There is always a chance we might find common ground."

Against her better judgment she reached across the table and put her hand over his. He didn't move and let her run her fingers across the back of his hand, lightly tracing the veins and tendons. There wasn't time and they both knew it, she needed to go.

With Galactica's computer systems compromised it would be extremely unwise for both of humanities leaders to be on board. She even considered for a moment making the argument that he should leave as well and come with her to Colonial One. For a second she smiled at the thought and indulged herself in a brief fantasy. He'd never do it, but wouldn't that be something? To have the Admiral all to herself in her private quarters.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked, drawing her back to reality.

"Nothing." She answered. Her smile faded. "I should go." For a brief moment regret played across his features but he nodded regardless.

"Indeed." He rose from his seat, taking her hand into his own and holding it as he brought her to the door of his quarters. Her heart ached when his hand let go just before they crossed the threshold and stepped out into the corridor.

--------

He walked her down to the hangar deck. Even with the lights flickering and the old Battlestar groaning in protest all around them they both took solace in the quiet walk. They didn't say anything, they both knew the stakes.

As he extended his hand to her to help her into her shuttle she held on for a moment longer than was necessary and turned to look at him. Fully aware of the fact that it might very well be the last time she ever laid eyes upon him.

"Come back." She whispered finally. – Come back to me – was the thought she didn't say out loud.

"I will." He promised, giving her hand a gentle squeeze.


	2. Chapter 2

The entire fleet had been holding their breath ever since they jumped and left Galatica behind. And the press was going insane in the conference room aboard Colonial One.

Billy had managed to come up with a cover story about why Galactica hadn't jumped with the rest of the fleet, carefully avoiding any mention of words such as technical failure, cylon virus and cylon prisoner. Unfortunately the press hadn't swallowed it quite as smoothly as Billy had hoped.

Laura wasn't surprised. Billy had done his best but the reporters weren't stupid. Leaving behind the only ship in their fleet capable of defending them from the Cylons wasn't going to go down well, no matter what kind of a spin you put on it.

So she stood behind the podium and fielded question after question. Sticking to the story even tough everyone in the room knew for a fact that she was lying through her teeth. It helped to keep her mind off the fear that was twisting around in her gut.

Abruptly several reporters fell silent and bent down, pressing at the microphones in their ear. At about the same time the co-pilot of Colonial One came through the curtain and pulled Billy aside. Laura watched them, ignoring those reporters still clamoring for her attention. When she saw the relieved look on Billy's face she felt like hugging him.

"Ladies and gentlemen." She said, raising her voice to be heard over the cacophony. "I'm happy to announce that Galatica has rejoined the fleet. That will be all." She turned away, refusing to answer any more questions as she hurriedly pushed through the curtain and into her private office. Billy followed directly on her heels.

"Get me Galatica." She said, but Billy had already picked up the receiver and was making the call. She smiled faintly as she watched the young man's anxious expression which soothed immediately the moment petty officer Dualla answered his hail. She allowed the two young lovers a few moments in private, turning around and pretending to ignore the hushed whispers. She turned back when she heard Billy ask for the Commander. He handed the horn over to her and left her office quietly.

"_Galatica actual." _Bill's rough voice send shivers down her spine and she briefly closed her eyes. When she didn't respond immediately he spoke up.

"_Laura?"_

"Gods, Bill." She whispered "Don't ever do that to me again!" There was a hint of a smile in his voice as he answered her.

"_I'll certainly try, Madam President."_

"What happened?" She sat herself down at her desk, allowing her eyes to drift shut as she listened to his voice more than to his words. She understood the gist of what he was telling her, if not the finer details but she'd catch up on those later, right now she was just glad to have his voice rumble in her ear.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's two full days later before she could arrange to pay a visit to Galatica. By the time her shuttle settled down on the deck her skin was tingling with anticipation. She was tired though, and she was not yet at the end of her day. Bill had asked her to attend a ceremony, a blessing, oddly enough. It wouldn't be the first blessing she performed. Ever since her role as the dying prophet of scripture had been made public some of the more religious members of the fleet had asked her to bless their children, their marriage, themselves. But no such request has ever come from someone on board Galatica before, certainly not from the Commander himself.

"Commander on deck!" The crew came to attention, offering their salute to the man beside her as he strode onto the hangar deck.

"As you where." He answered and his crew relaxed, grinning at one another. He walked past her as she stopped in front of the deck chief and she immediately missed his presence.

"Chief Tyrol." She said, offering the man her hand. He shook it gently, almost reverently.

"This is the blackbird?" She asked, glancing at the ship behind him. She already knew the answer, even though she didn't know much about the military she was able to recognize that this ship was not a viper. The result of having passed by scores of the fighter planes each time she came to Galatica. She asked the question anyway, having noticed the quiet shine of pride and accomplishment in the chief's eyes.

"Yes ma'am." He answered, his pride shining through in his voice and face as his eyes caressed the outline of the ship in front of him. It took a moment before his attention returned to her, although he never fully met her gaze.

"Madam president, this is an honor." The Chief said but she shook her head and smiled.

"No the honor is mine." She answered as she looked over the vessel in front of her, realizing that it was something that was built here, on this very deck. With scarce materials, very little time and even less experience. And yet the result was there for all to see. "It's remarkable." She said softly. The Chief shrugged slightly and seemed embarrassed by her praise.

"Just a ship ma'am." He said

"You're much too modest." She told him, as she glanced sideways to were the crew was signing their name onto the black hull with white pencil.

"After what we've been through it would be very easy to give up, to lose hope." She said, walking along the nose of the craft as she allowed her voice to carry.

"But not here, not today. This is more than a ship Chief, this is an act of faith. It is proof that despite of all we've lost we keep trying." She turned, facing the crew that helped built this ship and made them a promise she knew she couldn't keep. But they might be able to.

"We will get through this, all of us, together. I promise."

"Commander." The Chief said, reaching down and picking up a bottle which he handed over to his commanding officer. Bill glanced down at the label for a moment but then looked up and turned his attention back to the Chief. Laura would have expected him to bless the ship now but instead the Chief spoke up. The man nervously wrung his hands together and seemed hesitant as he addressed her.

"Ahh, Madam President, this was supposed to be a surprise. But ah… well." The Chief reached behind him and pulled away the black velvet cloth that had been draped over the blackbird's nose. Revealing the vessel's real name painted underneath.

It hit her hard and for a moment she could only stare breathless at her own name. It's a small thing, just five letters marking the bow of a battleship, but it meant so much. To know that she would be remembered, that she had been loved, honored and respected. She tried to speak but failed to find her voice, which was a good thing because at this very moment she wouldn't have been able to come up with anything to say. Finally she lowered her head and cleared her throat, taking a moment to gather her composure back together. When she looked up again her voice was once more steady.

"Thank you."

Bill stepped forward then, holding out the bottle to her. "If you'll do us the honors, Madam President." She turned her attention to the bottle in his hands, grateful for the distraction as she put on her glasses and took the bottle from him.

"Of course." She murmured, then as she glanced down at the label. "Okay." She stepped towards the blackbird and nodded to herself as an insane idea struck her. Throwing caution to the wind she grabbed the bottle by the neck and lifted it over her head. The crowd around her gasped in shock and the Chief practically threw himself in front of his ship. She smiled to herself, grinned even.

"Kidding." She said, glancing over her shoulder at the onlookers. Still smiling she popped the cork off the bottle with care and held it up. Applause rang out across the deck as she handed the bottle to the Chief who nodded to her before taking the first sip.

After congratulating the Chief he made his way over to where she was standing. A little bit away from the rest. Her shoulders were slightly hunched under her jacket and she was holding one hand pressed against her bosom, her expression pale and drawn. She tried to smile as he came to stand beside her but failed miserably. Instead she folded her arms across her chest.

"That was lovely." She said. He drew a little closer, leaning in to her, desperately wanting to take her into his arms and kiss the sadness right out of her. Instead he offered what comfort he could with words.

"They wanted to do that for you."

"Thank you." She murmured in response, not meeting his gaze. It took a moment before she did look up. "None of this would have been possible if you hadn't trusted the Cylon."

He met her gaze in turn. "I took your advise," She looked a little surprised, as if the notion of him taking her advise was still perplexing. "Met on common ground."

"What was that?"

"We both wanted to live."

Laura looked up, fighting to keep her deepest fears from showing. She wanted to live too, desperately wanted not to know how limited her time had become. But she did know and felt the knowledge drag on her heart and soul. A heart that tried to soar as she noticed the way he was looking at her.

There was a host of things to be seen in those stormy blue eyes, if one only held the key to deciphering them. She had no idea when he'd handed her that key but she held it firmly now and gazed into his eyes, searching the myriad and complexity of his emotions.

It surprised her to see want there, hidden away behind sadness and even a touch of anger, but it was still there. She knew full well that she wasn't looking her best. It had been a trying day and with her cancer having advanced she knew she was looking anything but desirable. He didn't seem to share that opinion though and as he reached out and cupped her elbow with his hand she couldn't help but feel tendrils of warmth stirring in the pit of her stomach.

"Come with me." He offered, applying gentle pressure on her elbow. She hesitated for a moment, glancing over her shoulder. But by then someone had started up the music and aside from the bottle of champagne the chief was passing around several other bottles of liquor seemed to have materialized out of thin air. Galatica's crew was gearing up for a party and considering the fact that for the most part she was old enough to be their mother it wasn't likely it would be the type of celebration she'd enjoy. It also meant that no one was going to miss her if she were to disappear for a while.

She offered the Commander a faint smile. "I'd love to." And let him guide her off the hangar deck and through Galatica's corridors. They didn't meet many people on their way to his quarters, and those they did meet seemed to be in a hurry to get to the party.

As she stepped over the threshold into his quarters she immediately slipped off her shoes and let out a small sigh of relief. She padded further inside, well aware of the fact that he'd locked the hatch behind them. She started to unbutton her jacket and slipped it off her shoulders, letting it fall to the ground before she settled down on the couch, drawing up her legs.

"Comfortable?" He asked, as he looked at her from across the room. A slight, amused smile on his face.

"Very." She answered, leaning her head back.

"Would you like something to drink?" He asked. She nodded and closed her eyes for a moment as he made his way to the side table.

She must have drifted off to sleep because when she opened her eyes again she found herself curled up on his couch, with two blankets tucked in around her. She blinked and lifted her head, looking around. He had turned down the lights, leaving only a single reading light on his desk where he sat going over his reports.

"Bill." She whispered, pushing herself up. He glanced up and offered her a warm smile.

"Good evening."

"How long did I sleep?" She asked.

"A few hours." He answered.

"Hours?!" She exclaimed, straightening up sharply at the thought of having wasted so much time. She'd never planned to be gone more than a hour, there was so much work she still had to catch up on. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You looked like you could do with a few hours uninterrupted sleep." She shook her head and got up, running a hand through her hair.

"I don't have time to nap." She answered. "There is too much left to do." She looked around for her jacket, which wasn't where she'd left it.

"Laura." He said, getting up. She ignored him and scanned the floor, locating her shoes by the door but still missing her jacket.

"Where did you put my jacket?" She asked.

"Laura, stop." His hand closed gently around her biceps and he turned her to face him, taking her other arm in an equally gentle grip.

"Bill…" She started, then stopped as she became aware of him. The very nearness of his body to her own, the smell of him, his touch on her arms with only the thin fabric of her blouse to separate their skin. All of it brought on a terribly vivid flashback of the last time he had been this close to her.

She gasped quietly as the recollection of their lovemaking sent a shiver down her spine. She shook her head, forcing down the memory. She might have come here with a repeat of those events in mind, but she'd never intended to spend the night.

She tried to back away from him, hoping that maybe a little distance between them would make it easier, but he wouldn't let her go. Instead he drew her closer still and folded her into his arms. She struggled for a moment, but only for as long as it took for the warmth of his body to seep through her blouse and into her skin.

"I can't." She whispered to the soft skin of his throat.

"It won't do anyone any good to kill yourself from exhaustion." He whispered, with only the slightest hitch to his measured tone. "Stay, get a good night's sleep." She held still in his embrace for a long moment. She knew she couldn't spend the night in his quarters. If the press ever got wind of that… _oh frak the press_ she thought savagely. What was she doing worrying about them anyway? It wasn't like she was going to be around to deal with the aftermath of a scandal.

And here was someone offering her warmth and comfort and a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. It was insane to even consider turning him down. She was being selfish again and knew it. She might not be around to deal with a scandal, but he would. But it was hard not to be selfish at this moment. It was hard not the wrap her arms around his waist and rest her head on his shoulder, to deny herself what he was offering. In the end she decided she was too tired to fight, too tired to do the right thing. Instead she was going to indulge herself, again.

He noticed her relaxing in his arms and let out a quiet sigh or relief. Gods the woman could certainly be stubborn. Sliding his hands up to her shoulders he withdrew slightly and caught her eyes. When he'd confirmed what he already knew he smiled and placed a gentle kiss on her brow before taking her to his rack. He helped her out of her clothes and laid her down before ridding himself of his uniform and climbing in next to her.

They shared in soft kisses and languid caresses of one another's skin but it didn't amount to anything. She was too tired, physically and emotional exhausted from the past few days and when he offered to simply hold her she gladly accepted and curled into his embrace.

She fell asleep almost instantly but he stayed awake for a while longer, luxuriating in the feeling of her in his arms. He never got the chance to hold her the first time around and found it was every bit as wonderful as he thought it would be.

He gently ran his hands through her hair and down her back, pulling her close to him as he softly took the taste of her skin just below her right ear. She stirred in her sleep, but didn't wake.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She woke up feeling better than she had in quite a while. It might have something to do with the fact that she'd spent the night in an actual bed instead of a makeshift cot. Then again it might have everything to do with the fact that she'd woken up next to William Adama. He was still sound asleep, as evidenced by the fact that he was snoring softly. She'd always found that to be a particularly annoying habit in her other lovers, with him though she was surprised to find that the sound was both amusing and even a little endearing to her.

Propping herself up on one elbow she studied his features for a long moment. They somehow looked odd and it took her a moment to realize that this is as relaxed as she has ever seen him. Smiling to herself she reached out and traced her fingertips across his cheek and along the curve of his jaw. Unwilling to part with the feeling of his skin under her hand she continued her exploration down to his throat and finally halted at his collarbones.

There her fingertips touch upon an irregularity. His scar. One of many, but this one in particular stood out. A single line, running from his collarbones down to his stomach. She shuddered at the thought that it was caused by two different surgeries, each one involving a doctor cracking open his chest and abdomen and reaching inside in an effort to repair the injury to his organs.

She's been told he died twice while lying in Lifestation. Died twice and came back both times. She was grateful for that fact, but also a little jealous. He's beaten the odds, cheated death, not once but twice. It was a miracle she knew couldn't be repeated for her but that didn't stop her from yearning for the possibility.

She ran her hand down the scar, shifting the blankets out of the way as her hand traveled lower. As more of him became visible to her eyes she found a tendril of desire stirring inside of her. She glanced over to his desk, looking for a timepiece to tell her if there was time to indulge. Her hand stilled halfway down his chest and she's startled when he spoke.

"Don't stop." He opened his eyes and looked at her. The time is completely forgotten as she saw naked desire staring back at her. He doesn't even try to cover it as he lay gazing up at her. What was only a tendril before abruptly exploded into the rest of her body.

She didn't stop and ran her hand down further, tracing the length of his scar even as she kept her eyes riveted to his face. When the scar ended her hand was only inches away from his pelvic bone and she dipped lower. She ran her fingers through the curls and found that even at the ripe age of sixty one a morning erection was not outside the realm of possibilities.

"My, my." She whispered, grinning as she leaned a little closer to him, pressing her body against his side as she lightly ran her hand up his length. As his breathing hitched, her grin broadened and took on a mischievous note as she realized that this time around she had the upper hand.

Their first time together had been all about her need. Her need to feel alive, to feel loved, if only for a moment. He didn't need her like she needed him, but he wanted her all the same. In spite of the fact that she was dying and decidedly not the most attractive woman in the fleet. Certainly a man in his position could get almost anything and anyone he wanted. And he wanted her. For that alone she loved him, a fact she intended to keep to herself. It was bad enough she would be leaving him soon enough, there was no need to make it any worse than it already was.

She shifted her body, sliding one leg over his and sitting up on his thighs. She leaned forward, resting her hands on his shoulders as she consciously rubbed up against his erection. He gasped in turn, his hands clamping down around her hips. She grinned and leaned down further, claiming his mouth in a searing kiss. As she explored the warmth of his mouth and the exquisite taste of his tongue she was well aware of the fact that his hands were traveling up her side and found their way to her breasts.

She moaned into his mouth as he stroked her nipples to attention and arched her back, pressing herself against his hands with unrestrained desire. But some part of her stayed in control as she left his mouth and started a trail of kisses down his throat and to his chest. She nipped gently at his chin, enjoying the feeling of a single day's worth of stubble against her lips.

She made her way down his chest, running her hands, lips and tongue over his skin, nuzzling the various scars. He shivered under her and she delighted in every groan and hoarse whisper she extracted from him. His hands ran down her back, cupping her ass in an effort to draw her forward. She resisted and laughed as he grumbled in disappointment.

But he was not the kind of man to just lie back and do nothing. So he shifted one of his hands, rounding her hip, he brushed his fingertips across the downward line of her hipbone, toward the reddish curls at her centre. She quickly grabbed hold of his wrist, having no intention of relinquishing control just yet.

"Wait." She whispered.

"Laura." He groaned. "I want…." She put a finger across his lips and leaned forward again, replacing her finger with her mouth she effectively silenced him. As they kissed she gathered both of his hands into her own and brought them up above his head. Leaning forward she used her superior position and weight to keep his wrists pinned there. She broke their kiss and smiled down at him. He looked up at her, making no attempt whatsoever to hide his feelings at this particular moment. There was certainly a great deal of raw desire there for her to see, but beyond that there was more. Reflected back at her from the maelstrom of his blue eyes she saw the love she felt and had intended to keep hidden away. Abruptly she drew back, and then rushing to get as far away from him as possible.

"Laura!" He called making a grab for her as she rolled out of his bed, nearly falling as her ankle got tangled in the sheets. His fingertips brushed along her arm but he never did manage to get a hold before she was up and stumbling away. She heard him climbing out of bed behind her as she blindly grabbed for the first article of clothing in sight and rushed further away.

"Laura, stop!" He barked, his voice still husky but laced with confusion and even a little anger. She ignored him and tried desperately to escape even though she knew it was a futile effort. It wasn't like she could simply step out into the corridor, not while she was all but stark naked. And there was no way she could get dressed before he caught up to her. It didn't stop her from trying though.

As expected she didn't get very far before she felt his hand close around her biceps again, his grip a great deal firmer than it had been last night. He spun her around sharply and grabbed her other arm, pushing her back up against the wall.

"What the frak do you think you're doing?" He snarled as he glared at her. She gasped as she realized that he hadn't bothered with clothing and was still quite aroused.

"Bill." She moaned. "Please, let me go."

"No." He growled in response, stepping even closer to her. "Not until you tell me what's wrong." She tried to control her breathing, tried so very hard to keep her body from betraying her in response to his proximity.

"I can't." She whispered, closing her eyes so as not to see the hurt in his eyes. "Please, Bill… I can't love you."

"What do you mean you can't?" He asked, confusion taking precedence in his voice. "I thought you…" His hold on her arms loosened abruptly as his voice dropped off and a moment later he drew away from her.

A sudden cold settled in the pit of her stomach as she opened her eyes and looked at him. She gasped again as she saw the expression on his face. Somehow he had managed to slip away from her in the space of a second and had retreated behind his barriers. There was nothing there for her to see in his face now, nothing of the warmth and desire that had been there only moments ago, not even a sparkle of the love that had scared her into running. And now that it was gone she found she missed it terribly.

"Bill…" She whispered as she reached out to him, realizing she had just made what possibly amounted to the biggest mistake of her life. But he wouldn't hear of it. He might as well have slapped her across the face. It would have hurt less than the cold look he gave her now.

"I apologize for overstepping my bounds, Madam President." He said. "You can rest assured it will never happen again."


	3. Chapter 3

_This particular plot bunny just wouldn't let go. So I set myself a trap and caught myself some meat. Which I'm currently skinning and roasting. I'd hoped to make some bunny soup and get this over with but that just doesn't seem to be happening any time soon. Here is a new chapter for your enjoyment and there is more to come since I still have no idea where this is going. I might end up having to kill off either one (maybe even both!) in order to get this particular bunny out of my head – consider yourself forewarned! Then again we might be drowning in fluff when I finally do finish – again, consider yourself forewarned!_

_Still don't own a thing (sighs sadly) just having fun so please don't sue_

-

He'd walked away from her, leaving her standing in his quarters, tears brimming in her eyes as she bit her lip. She wanted nothing more than to call him back to her. To tell him that she did love him, had loved him for a long time. But she didn't.

_-__ This is best_ - She thought to herself. - _This way it won't hurt as much_. –

And yet it did hurt. It hurt more than the cancer spreading throughout her body. She sank down to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest as she shivered. She heard him moving around and then the shower started. A door slammed shut with considerable force, leaving her alone.

Somehow she managed to get back up on her feet and gathered her clothes, putting them on quickly. He wouldn't take long in the shower and she wanted to be gone before he got out. If she stayed she would lose everything she was trying to salvage.

She spared a glance at the clock, noting that it was 430 in the morning. Hopefully early enough to get to the hangar deck and back to Colonial One before anyone noticed that she'd spent the night. Hopefully also early enough for no one to notice the state of disarray she was in. She gathered her shoes at the door and opened the hatch. She stepped out and pulled the hatch shut behind her before slipping back into her shoes. She took a moment to take a deep breath and straighten her skirt and jacket. She also ran a hand through her hair in a hopeless effort to straighten it out a little. Taking one last breath she strode out into the corridor, heading for her shuttle.

-

After Bill Adama stepped out of what had turned into a very cold shower he made sure to put on his uniform while still in the head. There was no way he was going to face that woman in nothing but a bath towel. But when he stepped out of the head and did a quick scan of his quarters he found himself alone. She'd already gone. He growled angrily and shook his head.

"What did you expect?" He muttered to himself. He glanced back at his rack. In her hurry to get away and his haste to follow half the bedding had landed on floor. He bent down and picked it up, reaching up he tore the remainder off as well and stuffed all of it into a laundry bag. He pulled out new covers and spent a few minutes making the bed. Taking care to restore it to its previous orderly state.

As he drew back and examined the result a sense of grim satisfaction took hold. Aside from the laundry bag there wasn't a shred of evidence pertaining to the events of that morning. If only he could erase the memories as easily as he had the remnants of her stay. His jaw worked as his anger once more surfaced. He allowed the emotion to stir through him for a moment, savored its bitter metallic taste in the back of his throat.

He spun around and grabbed the laundry bag as he headed out of his quarters. It was still far too early for the dayshift and the corridors were all but deserted. He dropped off the laundry on his way to the CIC.

-

Captain Kelly looked up in surprise as he noticed the Commander's entrance.

"Commander on deck!" He barked and snapped to attention along with everyone else.

"At ease." The Commander snapped in turn as he stopped at the plotting table, casting a look up to the dradis monitors to make sure everything was all right.

"Report." He said, keeping his eyes on the monitors while the captain rattled off the main events of the night shift. It took Kelly all of five minutes, and most of his comments pertained to the party that had been held on the hangar deck. Several crewmembers had had a little too much alcohol and had been taken to LifeStation to sleep it off, another few had been confined to their quarters after getting into some minor trouble. Other than that nothing of note had happened.

He listened to Kelly with only half an ear, until he caught himself scanning the various green markers up on the dradis monitors, looking for one in particular. He grimaced as he realized he was looking for her shuttle. She couldn't have made it back to Colonial One yet, she hadn't been gone that long. But why did he care anyways? It wasn't like she cared even the slightest bit. Forcing his gaze down he turned to Kelly, who had finished his report several seconds earlier.

"Thank you, captain." He said. "You stand relieved. Go get some shut eye."

"Sir." The captain answered, saluting his superior officer. "Thank you, sir." The Commander nodded and turned to the comm officer, requesting a list of scheduled tasks for the day.

-

Billy ran his hand across his face before pushing aside the curtain that separated the press room from the President's office. He was running incredibly late, and he was mentally kicking himself for letting Dee tempt him into having a last glass. One thing had led to another which had resulted in his current pounding headache, and his tardiness. He was sure to get an earful from the President about it. If there was anything Laura Roslin despised it was tardiness.

The President was behind her desk, going through the paperwork. She barely spared him a glance as he stepped inside before turning her attention back to the papers.

"Madam President." He started. "I'm sorry about running late, Dee and I…" 

"It's all right, Billy." She murmured, never even looking up. "Could you get me some coffee?" Billy blinked and then frowned. This was nothing like the Laura Roslin he knew. He stood for a moment, staring at his boss. It was only then that he noticed her hair was still slightly wet, as if she'd only recently taken a shower. Her skin was even paler than usual and there were dark patches underneath her eyes.

"Madam President?" Billy asked as concern settled into every fiber of his being. "Are you all right? Did something happen? Are you sick?" He could have hit himself over the sheer stupidity of that last remark. Of course she was sick, she was dying for gods sake. Laura Roslin looked up and offered him a slight smile that bore no warmth.

"I'm fine, Billy, just tired. Would you get me that coffee?" Billy opened his mouth, not at all sure that his boss was okay. Even now, as she looked at him she seemed… absent. As if something were missing from her bright green eyes. Billy couldn't quite put a finger on what exactly was lacking but whatever it was, it was a key element. He was about to ask again when her smile, cold as it was, dissipated completely.

"Leave it Billy." She snapped. "Just get me my coffee."

"Yes, ma'am." Billy answered, responding immediately to the commanding tone in her voice. It wasn't a tone she used often on him, but when she did he knew better than to try and argue. It didn't stop him worrying though.

-

Over the course of the following few days Billy watched his boss very carefully, although he refrained from asking any more questions. She clearly felt no desire to talk about it, whatever it was. And so Billy found himself forced to figuring it out on his own. Fortunately she did give him some clues.

That very same morning Dee called to inform him that the Commander had cancelled the military briefing that had been set later that day. When he informed the President of the news he fully expected her to request a rescheduling. Frankly it had surprised him that Dee hadn't asked for one to begin with. But the President simply nodded at the news and returned her attention to her paperwork. Billy hadn't pushed the matter but did take note. Especially when the Commander didn't call.

It wasn't unusual for one of their bi-weekly military briefings to get cancelled. The President and Commander were both extremely busy and sometimes things came up. But whenever either one was forced to chancel they'd usually call somewhere during the day. Just to keep one another updated. This time around though it wasn't the Commander that called but rather Colonel Tigh. The President didn't seem too surprised though and maybe there was even a hint of relief in her eyes.

Several days passed during which Billy noticed that the President and Commander seemed to be avoiding one another. A second briefing was cancelled, although this time by the President. And they still weren't talking to each other.

Billy was worried that the Commander and the President had had another falling out. So after three days had passed he waited until he was dismissed before he shuttled over to Galatica and went in search of Dee.

-

He found Dee in the mess hall, picking at her food while she tried to finish her comm report. She put the work aside though when she noticed him and smiled.

"Billy, I didn't expect you tonight."

"I have to talk to you." Billy answered as he pulled up a chair. The serious expression on his face dulled Dualla's smile a little.

"Is something wrong?" The young woman asked.

"I don't know. Maybe. Probably." Billy answered.

"What is it?"

"The President. I think something happened." A look of concern crossed Dee's face as she leaned closer to Billy.

"What happened? Is she all right?"

"She says she's fine, but she's been distant, out of sorts."

"You tried asking her?"

"Of course." Billy answered with a note of indignation. "She wouldn't tell me, just said she was fine and that I should leave it. But I think it has something to do with the Commander."

"The Old man?" Dee asked. "How come?"

"They've been avoiding one another. Their last two meetings were cancelled and haven't been rescheduled. They're not even talking to each other on the phone. You don't think they've been arguing do you?" Billy asked. "Because she can't take much more, and if he's…"

"He's not." Dee answered, a sharp edge to her voice. "He wouldn't." She added, purposely softening her voice. "Besides he's been nothing but a perfect gentleman with her."

"Are you sure?" Billy asked, still feeling a little defensive of his boss.

"I'm sure. You saw the way they were at the naming ceremony." Billy nodded. The Commander had indeed been the perfect gentleman with Laura Roslin, had been for quite some time in fact. Maybe not exactly since Kobol, but something had definitely changed since then, something that had blossomed and grown.

"Something happened though." Billy muttered. "She seemed well enough then but she was upset the following morning."

"So, where did she go after the ceremony?" Dee asked. "If you can figure out where she was maybe you'll figure out what happened."

"I don't know where she went. Back to Colonial One, I suppose, but I was with you." Dee shook her head.

"She didn't go back right away, her security detail was at the party remember, if she went back they would have gone with her. The only time they ever leave her side is when she's on Galactica."

Before Billy could continue they were interrupted when Hotdog and Racetrack stopped at their table. The two pilots were just coming off duty and had come to the mess hall to get some food when they noticed the two youngster sitting with their heads together.

"Hey." Hotdog called out as he drew up a chair from a nearby table and pivoted it around before sitting down.

"What are you two lovebirds up to?" Racetrack asked, pulling up a chair as well.

"Nothing." Billy answered. "It's just…"

"Billy's worried about the president." Dee said. "She's been acting odd ever since the ceremony, and we're trying to figure out what might have happened."

"What do you mean odd?" Racetrack asked a note of concern slipping into her voice.

"I don't know." Billy answered with a slight shrug. "She's just… not herself."

"Did you see where she went after the ceremony?" Dee asked. "She didn't go back to Colonial One."

"No," Racetrack answered. "Her shuttle stayed put for quite a while if I recall."

"I know." Hotdog answered, grinning devilishly. "I saw her leaving with the old man. Looked pretty cozy too. Hey!" He glared over at Racetrack whom had just punched him in the arm rather hard.

"What?" Hotdog asked. "I happen to think it's great. The old man getting some racktime with the president. It'll do them both a world of good and by extension us too."

"You're kidding." Billy gasped.

"Don't worry." Racetrack said. "He's just jerking your chain, Billy. He doesn't mean it."

"Yes I do." Hotdog persisted, still rubbing his arm.

"No." Racetrack growled grabbing his arm and pulling him up to his feet. "You don't, now let's get going, I'm starving." The two pilots left with Hotdog still grumbling under his breath as Racetrack pulled him over to the cafeteria.

"Is he serious?" Billy asked, looking at Dee.

"No!" Dee answered immediately, her voice rising with indignation. But even though her answer had been immediate the moment she thought about it doubt settled in.

"They wouldn't." She said again, trying to lay her own doubts to rest. "They don't even like each other all that much."

Billy didn't respond as he ran through the various meetings he had witnessed between his boss and the old man. There had clearly been some very guarded moments between them at first. But then there were those brief moments where all that just seemed to melt away. The dance on Cloud Nine, during the Colonial Day Celebration being one of those moments. And then the moment when the Commander and President first laid eyes on one another under the green canopy of Kobol's forests.

Dee seemed particularly uncomfortable with the suggestion Hotdog had made and didn't feel like discussing it any further. Billy stayed for a couple more minutes but then excused himself, telling Dee he wanted to make sure the President was all right.

-

When Billy arrived back on Colonial One he found the President's office deserted and the light in her private chambers dimmed. He knocked on the doorsill lightly.

"Madam President, are you awake?" He asked softly. When no answer was forthcoming he turned around and quietly started to clean up her desk, setting aside the papers that she'd read and signed and replacing them with new stacks for the following morning.

Laura Roslin lay in bed and listened to Billy moving around in her office. She'd ignored his knock and soft spoken question. She didn't feel like facing the worried look she was bound to get from the young man. She turned over on her side, trying to find a comfortable position. It was a futile effort though. Her sleeping arrangements might be a lot of things, comfortable clearly wasn't one of them. Not that she would have been comfortable even if she were lying in the best bed on the Rising Star. Her discomfort had nothing to do with the state of her bed and everything to with the lack of company.

Every time she closed her eyes she could feel his arms around her, strong and warm as he'd drawn her against his body. She shivered under the blankets and stifled a quiet moan. In a moment of despair and loneliness, a moment of need, she had seized upon a dream and forced it into reality. All she had wanted was a connection and she had been more than willing to settle for something purely physical. She hadn't dared to ask for anything more, she didn't think she deserved even as much as she had gotten.

She had never expected him to offer her his heart. And in a moment of panic she had trampled all over it. But once the panic had drained away she had made no effort to correct her mistake, had in fact compounded it by leaving. And by avoiding him she certainly wasn't helping things now. It was her only choice though. She couldn't afford for him to fall in love with her. Humanity couldn't afford it.

When she was gone Baltar would take her place. The scientist had already turned out to be an utter failure as vice-president, he wouldn't do any better once he became President. Which meant that the responsibility for the survival of humanity would fall entirely to the Commander. And once that happened he couldn't afford to be distracted.

She knew that for William Adama love was not a fleeting matter, quite the contrary. It ran deep with him, past reason and logic, past sanity even. He had shown as much when Kara Thrace disappeared. He had simply refused to accept the reality of her death and had endangered the entire fleet searching for her. The fact that Lieutenant Thrace had managed to survive was irrelevant. Because unlike lieutenant Thrace, there was not a chance that she would survive. For her death was a given. It would be cruel and even dangerous to allow William Adama to love her.

There was a difference however between knowing all that and feeling it. Her head was perfectly clear about what she should do, but that didn't stop her heart from aching. Or her body from yearning for his touch. So she lay tossing and turning, trying to sleep.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She immediately recognized her surroundings and realized she was dreaming. Even though she knew where she was and knew full well that nothing around her was real she couldn't help but feel a thrill of trepidation travel down her spine. It might be nothing more than a dream, but it was certainly no ordinary dream. Much like the chamalla induced visions her dreams looked, sounded and felt absolutely real. Even as she stood silently, surrounded by giant trees she could feel the cool grass under her bare feet. A gentle breeze tugged at her hair and the deep earthly aroma of the surrounding forest tickled her nostrils. She wore nothing other than her night gown and robe and although the woods around her were damp with freshly fallen rain she wasn't cold.

She started walking, in no particular direction, simply following her own feet. She glanced around but aside from the leaves stirred by the breeze nothing moved. Time slipped by without meaning until she found herself approaching a small clearing. She noticed a figure standing at the centre, and although she couldn't see him very well she knew who it would be before hand. She didn't hesitate in her approach though. He might be a Cylon in real life but this was just a dream and in this world she had nothing to fear from him.

"Hello Laura." He said, as she came to the edge of the clearing. He didn't turn until after he had spoken and when he did he was smiling.

"It's good to see you again."

"I can't say I feel the same way." She responded calmly. Leoben's smile widened into a smirk.

"I see you haven't lost your fight yet. That's good."

"What do you have to tell me, Leoben?" She asked.

"Oh no, Laura." Leoben answered, shaking his head. "This won't be quite that easy. This time, I need for you to really listen."

Laura frowned in response. "What are you talking about?"

"I'll show you." Leoben answered as he reached forward and grabbed her arm in a tight grip. Abruptly the forest around them was swallowed by a darkness so deep and cold that it felt like black water crashing down around them.

Laura gasped and blinked as she found herself standing in CIC, Leoben was still holding her arm and he spun her around now, turning her towards the centre of the room.

"Watch." He whispered in her ear. Laura glanced around the room, her eyes skimming over the familiar faces of Galatica's crew. Noticing the fear and confusion in their expression. She frowned as she followed their gaze, landing upon Lee Adama, who stood flanked by two marine guards, his hands cuffed together in front of him.

"What is this?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper. She'd never seen Lee in handcuffs. At least… abruptly her heart leapt up into her throat as she glanced back at Leoben.

"No." She pleaded. "I don't want to see this. You can't make me." But Leoben's expression remained impassive and his hold on her arm was like a vice. She tried to break free but he only reached an arm around her chest and pulled her back against him, grabbing her chin in the process.

"Watch." He hissed into her ear. Refusing to see Laura squeezed her eyes shut, Leoben did nothing. But even though she'd closed her eyes she couldn't stop herself from hearing as one of the crew called out.

"Commander on deck." There was a rustle of movement, the crew jumping to attention as the old man entered the command center. She tried to turn her head but Leoben's hand tightened on her chin.

"Open your eyes, Laura." He whispered. "You need to see this."

"No." She breathed through clenched teeth.

Off to her right she recognized Gaeta's voice as he spoke up. "Hey, nice work." The one voice she had dreaded hearing answered the young lieutenant.

"Thanks," Sharon said. "What's going on?"

"A lot happened while you were gone." Gaeta answered in a low whisper.

The sound of heavy boots on the deck approached Laura and stopped almost directly in front of her. She didn't have to look to know who it was, and as he spoke she moaned softly, squeezing her eyes shut even tighter.

"Congratulations to both of you," Adama said in that low, rumbling voice that effortlessly slipped past all her defenses, wrenching at her heart and soul.

"For carrying out a very difficult and dangerous mission. You did it despite any personal misgivings you may or may not have had and for that I'm very proud."

"Thank you, sir." Racetrack's voice. Then Sharon's voice.

"Thank you, sir." Followed closely by his own.

"Thank you." The shot sounded more like an explosion. And it startled her into opening her eyes. What she saw very nearly stopped her heart. Almost directly in front of her was Bill, stumbling back against the plotting table. Sharon had her gun out and everyone looked on in horror as she stepped closer, raised the gun and fired a second shot. The impact of the second shot slammed into his body, the force of the blow throwing him back across the plotting table. Laura didn't realize she was screaming until she became aware of the sound pounding on her own ears.

Two crewmembers stormed Sharon and wrestled her to the ground but Laura hardly noticed. Across the table Lee was screaming as he reached out and cradled his father's head. Tigh stood alongside him, looking pale as he tried to stop the bleeding with his hands. Laura fought with all her might against Leoben's hold on her, reaching out to the man lying unconscious before her. Bleeding, dying.

Abruptly Leoben let her go and she stumbled forward. Her bare feet slipped on the pool of blood on the deck and she slammed into the plotting table, getting the wind knocked out of her. She gasped for breath, her hands slick with blood as she reached out and grabbed hold of his uniform. Everyone around her had vanished, leaving her alone with her grief.

She knew it had already happened. Knew that he had survived this. But it didn't stop her heart from breaking as she witnessed what could very well have been his undoing. Luck and sheer stubbornness where all that had stood between him and death. Tears streamed down her cheeks and sobs wrenched their way through her body ad she pulled his limp form closer, desperately looking for the warmth she remembered so well. Cherished so very much.

"She'll kill him, Laura." Leoben whispered, putting a hand on her shoulder and leaning against her back. Laura ignored the feeling of his body pressed against her own as she tore at Bill's blood soaked uniform, hoping to stop the blood that was pooling all around him.

"You have to stop her. You have to save him."

"I'm trying!" She screamed desperately as she finally managed to rip apart his tanks, exposing his bare chest. For the briefest of moments she could only gape at the two large wounds in his skin, oozing blood. She knew where he'd been shot, she'd ran her hand over the small puckered scars several times, but she'd never imagined it would have look like this.

"No, Laura." Leoben whispered, an urgent note to his voice. "You're not seeing it." Leoben's hand once more closed around her arm as he pulled her away.

"No!" Laura screamed, trashing against him. "No, please, you have to let me help him!"

"You can't help him now." Leoben answered. "You have to see it coming. The Gods spared his life this time around but they might not the next time."

"The next time?" Laura asked, abruptly turning to look at Leoben. "What next time? What are you talking about?"

"You have to see it coming, Laura." Leoben said. "You have to stop her."

"Sharon?" Laura asked. "Is she going to try again?" Leoben didn't answer her and let go of her arm, stepping back. Abruptly he was once more surrounded by trees.

"Leoben!" She screamed as his next step took him several yards away. "Tell me!" But Leoben had already melted into the shadows beneath the trees. She started to run after him but fell and the forest floor rushing up to meet her.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4 - Reconciliation 

_Okay, next chapter. Still don't own a thing so please don't sue (nothing to get anyways). Also I blatantly stole a line from either Jon bon Jovi or the movie Meet Joe Black – I can never recall which came up with that particular line first but I so love it! Lots of switches in POV further along - let me know if it's too much. _

She sat up, desperately gasping for breath. Frantically pushing back the blankets she tried to swing her legs out, but hit her knee on the side and tumbled unceremoniously out of bed. The impact with the floor knocked the breath out of her, leaving her struggling for air. The world around her grew dim as she fought against her own body, forcing every breath down her lungs against the pain.

"Madam President!" She heard Billy's anguished cry only barely but felt his hands on her shoulders as he carefully turned her over onto her back.

"Ma'am, what happened? Are you all right?" She forced herself to nod briefly, unable to spare the breath to speak. The pain slowly receded to a familiar dull throb in her chest and it became a little easier to breath. A few more minutes went by and she found herself able to speak again.

"I'm all right, Billy." She whispered. "But I need to go to Galactica."

"Right." Billy said. "Doc Cottle." Laura grabbed his wrist before he could rise.

"No, not the doctor." She said. "I need to talk to Bill. Now." Billy blinked at her use of the Admiral's first name but Laura hardly noticed as she levered herself up to her feet with his help.

"Go." She said. "Get me a shuttle." Billy stood dumbfound as she turned away from him and went to her closet, pulling out one of her suits. When she turned and found him still there she frowned.

"Go!" She snapped, starling Billy into action. The young aid spun around and left.

-

Billy found himself ringing up the hangar bay at 0322 in the morning to tell them to get a shuttle ready for the President. He hadn't even got around to dressing himself when Laura Roslin stepped out into her office.

She'd dressed but pretty much left it at that. She'd made very little effort to straighten out her hair and hadn't put on any make up. All in all she didn't look well. Her skin was pale and she looked to be near exhaustion. And yet there was a fire in her eyes now, something powerful burning inside of her, driving her forward. Billy hadn't seen this kind of passion in his boss for a while now and although he was glad to see a little life in her he worried about the cause.

"The shuttle is being readied ma'am." He said. "Would you like me to call Galactica?"

"No." Laura answered. "I want to get going."

"Ah, I'm not dressed yet." As the president glanced sideways at him it seemed she only then noticed the fact that he was still wearing his pajama's. Or rather what passed for pajama's at the end of the world. In his case, a tattered white T-shirt and shorts.

"Well, hurry up then." She said, running a trembling hand through her hair. Her attention already seemed to shift away from him as she looked up, frowning. "I need to talk to him." Billy hurried off to his bedroom, which wasn't really a bedroom, but rather a cot set up in the corner of the press room. He had the room to himself though, for which he was grateful at the moment.

He yanked some clothes out of his bag and hurriedly dressed, worried that the President might just leave him on Colonial One if the shuttle was ready before he was. All the while he wondered what could possibly be so urgent that they were shuttling over to Galactica in the middle of the night, especially after she'd been avoiding the battlestar for the past three days as if it were infested with the plague.

-

Laura strode out onto the hangar deck, nodding towards the pilot, who looked like he'd only just rolled out of bed, which probably wasn't far from the truth. The two marines on duty tonight at least looked alert, if slightly puzzled.

The hop over to Galatica usually took no more than ten to fifteen minutes. Tonight though it felt like an eternity before her shuttle finally set down on the Battlestar's hangar deck. And the entire way over she sat wringing her hands together. Logically she knew that nothing had happened. She would have been the first to know if Sharon had escaped and managed to kill the Commander. Barring that she could just as easily have called to have someone check on him. It would certainly have been faster. But she also needed to warn him and she knew that she would have to do that face to face. If she was going to come to him with prophecies and visions she would have to look him in the eye and make him believe.

The deck was quiet and the few crewmembers on hand to settle down the shuttle looked up in surprise when she disembarked and started for the corridors without even waiting for Billy.

"Madam President, wait!" Billy called, hurrying after her. She didn't slow down to wait though and the young man had to run several passes to catch up to her. Slightly winded the young aid cast a single look sideways and thankfully realized that it was pointless to ask her any more questions.

She made it to his quarters in record time and her security team took up position on either side of the hatch, only stressing the fact that before their arrival there hadn't been anyone there. She tried the hatch and was relieved to find that he had at least had the sense to lock it at night. Without preamble she raised her fist and banged on the metal several times. She swayed back on her heels after a moment, waiting anxiously for him to answer. She was about to knock again when the hatch swung open and a very grumpy looking Commander glared out into the corridor.

"What the frak…" He started, then stopped as he noticed who was at his door. Laura didn't wait for him to finish but pushed past him and stepped inside before turning around.

"Thank you, Billy." She said. "You can go back to Colonial One, I'll see you there tomorrow." Billy looked like he was about to protest, and she gave him a hard glare. The young man swallowed his questions and muttered a 'yes ma'am' before he turned and left. Which gave her the opportunity to turn her full attention to the Commander.

"Close the hatch." She said, finding that her voice trembled ever so slightly. It was pure relief though that managed to sneak through her Presidential demeanor. It was only then that she admitted to herself that she had come here to see him. To make sure with her own two eyes that he was alive and well. Now that she had done that something of the anxiety that had drove her here in the middle of the night drained out of her and she had the time to really see him.

Clearly he had been fast asleep before she'd rudely awakened him. His hair was matted to the side of his head and a red crease ran across his cheek. His glasses were nowhere in sight and he was only wearing his tanks and boxer shorts. The very sight of him made her heart flutter but she swallowed and forced the sensation to the back of her mind and watched him as he stood watching her. She couldn't tell if he was angry with her or just surprised. After what felt like an eternity he turned and closed the hatch.

-

Bill Adama shut the hatch to his quarters and spun the wheel, locking it again. With the light from the hallway sealed outside his quarters were bathed in almost complete darkness. He had only turned on a small reading light before answering his door. Carefully avoiding the location where Laura had been standing he walked over to the light switch and flipped it over.

Once the room was well light he turned his back and made his way to his private quarters, where he snatched up his glasses and slipped into a bathrobe. He was grateful that she kept quiet and allowed him a few moments to adjust. For three days they'd been avoiding each other, and now here she was, standing in the middle of his quarters in the dead of night. The sight of her stirred up some strong feelings and he needed a moment to sort through it all.

Aside from genuine surprise to see her there was also anger, a response that was more of a gut reflex, a remnant of the anger he had felt three days ago. Most of it had drained away the moment he looked at her and saw how pale her skin had become. It seemed impossible but she might have actually lost more weight in the past three days. Concern flashed through him accompanied by a sadness so deep that it stung at his heart. He was no fool, and realized full well what caused all these feelings. He was in love. Unfortunately she didn't feel the same way. So he steeled himself before facing her, burying his feelings deep inside.

"What brings you here in the middle of the night, Madam President?" He asked, taking great pains to keep his voice as neutral as possible.

-

She had watched him move about his quarters silently. She had meant to deliver her warning and be on her way as quickly as possible. Being here, alone with him, was a temptation she wasn't willing to expose herself to for very long. And yet for a few moments she savored the fact that his quarters were one of the few places where she truly felt at home.

She said nothing as he turned on the lights but rather watched him as he disappeared into the private section of his quarters. When he emerged once more he was wearing a bathrobe and had put on his glasses. The moment she laid eyes on him she swallowed. His expression didn't show any anger, which she had been prepared for. Rather it didn't show much of anything and that it turned out that was something she wasn't prepared for.

"What brings you here in the middle of the night, Madam President?" He asked. She cringed at his tone, but managed to keep from showing it.

"I needed to talk to you, face to face." She finally answered.

"About?" She hesitated for only a moment before launching headlong into the subject.

"I had a dream. I came to warn you." A long moment of silence followed, a moment in which his expression remained almost perfectly neutral. There was only the slightest hint of a frown nagging at his eyebrows.

"You had a dream." He finally stated in a flat voice.

"Yes. I saw Sharon… I saw the Cylon shoot you." She swallowed as the image of him lying in CIC unbidden sprang to mind. She shut her eyes and forced the image away, when she looked at him again he was frowning at her and had move one step closer.

"Are you all right?" He asked, with a gentleness in his voice that sent her heart soaring. She knew that she shouldn't allow herself to be drawn in by a small gesture of kindness but she couldn't help herself. She had missed him more than she cared to think about. So she smiled faintly.

"Yes, I just haven't slept very well lately."

"Because of this dream?" It would certainly be safer to say yes. It wouldn't even be a complete lie, except that the truth was that her sleeplessness of late had everything to do with dreams, but just a little with the one with the one that had brought her here. But that was an answer she couldn't give and when she said nothing she saw him straighten up again, physically and emotionally pulling away from her.

"You don't have to worry." He said. "It already happened, I survived."

-

Confusion and annoyance played foremost in his mind as he listened to her. She knew full well how he felt about religion and prophecy and she came to his door at this hour to tell him she had a dream about something that had already happened? It was ridiculous, and yet when she told him about it he couldn't help but notice the pain that flashed across her face. Concern overrode his annoyance and he stepped forward, posing a gentle question. She smiled at him and told him she simply hadn't slept well. Which prompted him to ask if it was because of this dream.

Maybe his motives for asking that particular question weren't entirely pure. Maybe he wanted to hear that this dream wasn't the only reason she'd been sleeping poorly, or that it wasn't why she was standing in his quarters in the dead of night. But she didn't answer his question and as he searched her face and eyes he couldn't tell a single thing about what she was feeling or thinking. Disappointment and a hint of anger made him draw back, once more schooling his own expression as he told her not to worry.

"That's not why I'm here." She answered and the tiniest glimmer of hope burst forth in his heart at her words, but he was careful not to let it get the better of him.

"Then what?" He asked.

"I came to warn you. Leoben said…"

"Leoben?" He asked, his tone hardening again.

"He was in my dream." She explained, waving his comment away as if it were of no relevance. "He said the Gods might not spare you next time. I think Sharon or some other Cylon might try something again, soon." For a long moment he just looked at her.

"Let me get this straight." He finally stated. "Leoben appeared to you in a dream and showed you a vision of Boomer shooting me, and then he told you that the next time I might not survive?"

"Yes."

"And you came here to warn me that the Cylons might try to kill me again?"

"Yes." When he spoke again he made sure his tone was soft and gentle, knowing full well that she wouldn't like what he was about to say.

"Laura, this is ridiculous. It was just a dream. Sharon is locked up and under constant guard, she's not going to hurt me and neither is anyone else."

-

Laura bristled at his words and with her nerves already frayed she didn't hold back.

"Don't be stupid!" She snapped. "You are the military leader of this fleet. You're a constant target and you'd better not forget it!" She almost immediately regretted her harsh words when she saw him stiffen in response but refused to apologize for them. Hell, he'd been the first to insult her by being so damn patronizing.

"What exactly is it that you want me to do about this, Madam President?" He asked in frosted tones.

"First of all how about a personal marine guard?" She retorted. "I'm stuck with one, why aren't you?"

"A personal… No." Laura ignored him as she pushed on, as long as she was angry she found she could face him just fine.

"Secondly I don't want you to visit Sharon, and I don't want her leaving her cell under any circumstance." The muscles of his jaw flexed and a dangerously cold look settled on his features but she was on a roll now.

"Third, I want to put Colonel Tigh in charge of your personal security. The marines will report to him, not to you. And the Colonel will provide me with an update at the end of every week."

"You have got to be kidding me." He finally snapped.

"I am perfectly serious, Commander." She answered, countering his glare with her best presidential look.

"Those are all military matters." He growled. "You have no business getting involved."

"I'm your commander in chief, am I not? It's my job to get involved. It's my job to make sure this fleet still has a leader once I'm gone, because you and I both know that Baltar won't cut it."

-

The reminder of her condition knocked all the fight out of him, although he was sure she hadn't intended for that to happen. If anything she seemed more than willing to go at it for a while longer. And that would do neither one of them any good. It was late after all, and she looked like she could do with a couple of days worth of sleep.

"All right." He finally said in a soft voice. "I'll have Colonel Tigh contact your office in the morning to arrange for everything." If he had thought that was going to be the end of it he was sourly mistaken. If anything his giving in seemed to anger her even more.

"Oh no you don't!" She snapped. "I don't want or need your pity. If you don't agree with me you say so!"

"Laura." He said with a heavy sigh. "It's the middle of the night and I'm tired. Can we not do this now?"

For a split second he thought she might actually continue arguing with him the rest of the night, she certainly looked angry enough to manage it. In the end though she folded her arms.

"Fine." She snapped. "We'll talk about it tomorrow." He let out a quiet sigh of relief.

"Good. I'll arrange guest quarters for you so we can both get some sleep."

"I'm going back to Colonial One." She stated, causing him to stifle a frustrated sigh before shaking his head.

"Don't be stubborn. It'll take you at least half an hour to get back to Colonial One, guest quarters are just down the hall."

"Stubborn?" She asked, her voice rising slightly in pitch. "I'm not being…"

"Damn it, woman!" He snapped. "Will you just let me…" Abruptly he stopped.

"What, Commander?" She asked, her voice still sharp. "I should let you do what?" He looked at her for a long moment. He was still angry with her, for numerous reasons. And tomorrow morning they were sure to have a heated debate on the subject of his personal security. But right now he was worried about her. Right now he felt his heart ache with the knowledge that he loved her and couldn't save her.

"Let me take care of you." He whispered.

-

She fought hard to hold onto her anger and failed miserably. It slipped through her fingers like water, as he stood there gazing upon her with his feelings showing clearly.

"No," She whispered, shaking her head and dropping her eyes to the deck. "I told you. I can't do that. I can't love you." She fully expected her words to have the same effect they'd had last time and as she chanced another look at his face she steeled herself for another cold look. Instead she was hit by the pain that showed in his eyes. There was not even a hint of cold this time, only pain and it took her breath away.

"I'm not asking you to." He said, his voice gruff. "I don't care if I'm the only one in this relationship. But you have to let me take care of you."

"You can't." She managed to whisper, fighting to keep control of her voice and body as she looked at him. She desperately whished she could summon back her anger, at least then she'd been able to deal with him. She couldn't handle him in her current state. She had to get out of here, now! She turned abruptly and made for the hatch but he cut her off, putting his hand over hers as she grabbed the wheel.

"Laura, please." He whispered, standing so close that she could smell him. His strong, masculine scent bypassed every single barrier she had thrown up and went straight to her head. The fact that the warmth of his palm on the back of her hand sent shivers up her arm wasn't helping either.

"Stop it!" She snapped as she pulled her hand out from under his and stepped away from the door and him. The fact that it took her further into his quarters was something she was willing to accept for the moment. She had to work hard to keep her voice steady and even harder to put an edge into it.

"I don't understand." He said, turning to look at her. "Why won't you let me help you?"

"Because." She snapped in turn. "I don't want or need your help. Just leave me be, I'm trying to do the right thing here."

"The right thing?" He asked, approaching her yet again as he frowned. "What exactly would that be?" She swallowed as she realized that she might have let slip too much. She scrambled around for something to say, some plausible answer to his question that wouldn't involve her telling the truth.

-

Bill frowned as he watched her. She looked flustered, which meant that something was most definitely wrong. He could count on one hand the number of times he'd found her at a loss for words, and it had only happened when something was profoundly wrong. He tried to approach her but she backed away from him, raising a hand to keep him at bay.

"Bill, please. Just… don't." He stopped, even though he wanted nothing more than to go over to her and draw her into his arms. She crossed her arms in front of her chest, rubbing them as if she were cold.

"Laura, what's going on?" He asked. "Why did you come here in the dead of night?"

"I told you," She answered as she refused to meet his gaze. "I wanted to warn you."

"You could have just called." He suggested in a soft voice. She looked up then and in that one moment her eyes were completely unguarded, showing her deepest feelings. For a second he only stood and stared. He hadn't realized he was moving until he stood directly in front of her and was putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Don't." She whispered as she put a hand against his chest. There was no strength behind it though and when he pulled her to his chest she easily flowed into his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and tightened his hold ever so slightly as he felt a shudder travel through her body.

"Oh Gods." She whispered against his chest. "I didn't want to do this."

"Why not?" He asked in a gruff voice. "What's to keep us?" She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked at him. Tears were brimming on her eyelashes and he reached up to brush them off.

"I'm dying, Bill." She whispered. "Soon."

"I know." He answered, feeling the realization twist around in his gut.

"You can't save me from this, you'll lose me. And I don't want you to get hurt." For a long moment he looked at her, frowning. Her face was less than an inch away from his own and even as he looked at her his fingers were unconsciously tracing the line of her jaw.

"That's what this has been all about?" He finally asked. "You're trying to protect me?" She nodded in assent, dropping her gaze to her hands, which were still on his chest.

"You need to be strong." She whispered. "When you love me… when I die… Humanity can't afford for you to break down."

"Gods, Laura," He whispered as he closed his eyes and brought her closer to him. He couldn't believe that she had been willing to deny herself everything in order to protect him, to protect the fleet.

After a moment he pulled back a little and brought up her chin so she'd look at him. "Did you honestly think it would hurt me less to lose you if you said you didn't love me?"

She shrugged her shoulders ever so slightly. "Maybe, but I still have to think of the fleet first."

"You're a little late." He whispered in turn. "Losing you will be one of the hardest things that has ever happened to me, but at this stage it won't matter what happens next, I'll still love you."

-

Somewhere along the line she'd lost control of the situation. Being here, with him, arguing, her fatigue and the conflict between her heart and head, in the end all of it had brought her down. He'd seen how she felt, had seen everything she'd been trying so hard to hide. It had brought him to her and once he took her in his arms she felt the strength to resist leave her completely. Instead she'd welcomed the warmth of his embrace and buried her head against his shoulder. For a long moment she'd done nothing other than breath in his scent and enjoy the feeling of his arms tightening around her waist.

Once she found herself defeated by her own heart they talked and she freely admitted her defeat, as well as her reasoning. Which had brought them to this point. His hand was under her chin, gently lifting it up for her to look at him as he told her he'd love her no matter what. It took her a moment to notice the tears that were rolling down her cheeks. She smiled through her tears though and brought up a hand to caress his cheek.

"Thank you." She whispered. He leaned forward and gently kissed the tears off her cheeks before moving to bring his mouth closer to her ear.

"For what?" He asked in a soft whisper.

"For loving me." She answered as she wrapped one arm around his shoulder, slipping her hand to the back of his neck. Her other hand was already at his waist, gripping the fabric of his bathrobe. She could feel him smile against her cheek.

"It's my pleasure." He murmured. She buried her face into the soft fabric of his robe and tightened her hold on him drawing him even closer to her. He answered by wrapping his arms around her waist and tucking his nose into her hair. For a long, blissful moment they simply stood and enjoyed the release of their restraint. But that wasn't nearly enough for her. She'd spent three days fighting against her desire and now that she no longer had to she found she wanted much more than to simply be held.

She drew back a little but kept one hand in his neck. For a single moment she gazed up at him and smiled at the sight of those blue eyes gazing back at her with nothing but love and tenderness. She leaned forward again and brushed her lips against his. She felt him hesitate and tightened her hold on him, drawing him closer as she kissed him with more force. He quickly relented as she ran her tongue across his bottom lip and opened his mouth to her.

She had no intention of going slow and pressed her body tightly against his as she explored the warmth of his mouth. She felt him responding to her. He shifted his hold on her, tightening one arm around her waist while he pressed his hand against the small of her back. His other hand traveled up her spine and entwined itself into her hair. After what felt like an eternity the need for air finally broke them apart. She almost instantly leaned back in again but he gently stopped her.

"Laura." He whispered in a low, gruff voice. "What are you doing?"

"If I have to spell it out for you, it's been too long." She murmured as she placed a small kiss at the corner of his mouth and started to trail a line of kisses up to his ear. She could feel his breathing speed back up again, although it had never really settled down to begin with.

"Are you sure you're up for this?" He finally asked.

"Yes." She answered, before drawing his earlobe into her mouth and suckling on it gently. He gasped and drew back, but before she could even begin to voice a protest he claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. She ran her hand up into his hair, grabbed hold and gave as good as she got. In the few spare moments between kisses she fumbled around for the belt to his robe and after several frustrated efforts managed to untie it. She pushed the soft fabric off his shoulders and let it fall to the floor.

"Wait." He breathed as she immediately reached up to snake her arms around his neck again. "Let me…." He growled in frustration with his efforts to divest her of her blouse and jacket without tearing the delicate fabric. She smiled and pulled back a little, giving him the room he needed. Within moments her clothes joined his bathrobe on the floor and she shivered with anticipation as his hands settled on her bare waist. He put one hand on the small of her back, pulling her tight against his body as he ran his other hand up her spine. To her satisfaction he managed to undo her bra clasp at the first try.

She shivered again and reached out to run her hand underneath his tanks, relishing the feeling of warm skin under her fingertips. She pushed his tanks up over his chest, stealing kisses in the mean time and only stepped away from him long enough to pull the soft fabric over his head. He took advantage of the opportunity by taking both bra straps and pulling them down across her arms. The feeling of his hands traveling down her arms was wonderful but not nearly as intoxicating as the look he gave her as he let her bra fall to the floor. His eyes traveled over her naked skin with such blatant desire that it made her breath hitch. After a long moment his gaze traveled back up and he smiled as he looked into her eyes.

"You are so beautiful." He whispered, as he reached out and settled his hands on her hips. She felt an objection bubbling up into her throat. She certainly didn't consider herself to be beautiful, especially not now. Not after she'd had three sleepless nights and had rushed to his door in the middle of the night without even bothering to brush her hair. But before she could voice her doubts with concern to his powers of observation he dipped down and scooped her up in his arms. The move was so sudden she couldn't help but cry out in surprise, which quickly turned to laughter as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her face against his neck.

She kicked off her shoes while he carried her over to his bed. He put her down gently and she smiled as she noticed the sheets were still slightly warm. He tried to pull back, no doubt with intentions to take this slow and steady. But she wasn't in the mood, she didn't have time to go slow. So she grabbed him by the neck and pulled, causing him to loose his balance and nearly fall on top of her. She managed to roll with his momentum though and after a small scuffle found herself on top. She quickly hiked her skirt up her thighs and slipped her knees to either side of his waist as she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

He was startled by, but not at all displeased with the turn of events. He certainly seemed to be enjoying the view. His eyes traveling down her naked torso sent shivers up her spine. Those stormy blue eyes raking across her skin almost felt better than his hands following suit, almost but not quite. And as he placed his hands flat against her stomach she leaned into him. His hands traveled up her ribcage, gently tickling her sides. She bit the inside of her cheek to suppress a giggle and swatted at his hands.

"Don't." She growled. If he got her giggling she'd lose control and she wanted to stay in control, needed to be in control. But she knew the perfect way of distracting him. Taking his wrists she moved his hands further up and placed them over her breasts. He got the hint and gently circled his thumbs around her nipples, sending another shiver down her spine. She closed her eyes for a moment and allowed herself to enjoy his almost reverent touch.

She opened her eyes when she felt him push up, and gasped as his mouth found the sensitive bit of skin just below her ear. She put her hands on his shoulders and pushed him back down. He opened his mouth to protest and she silenced him with a searing kiss. When they broke apart she sat back up and drew her nails across his chest, stopping a moment to toy with his nipples before traveling further down and skimming along the waistband of his boxers. She felt her own body respond to the sight of the grey cotton being stretched by his erection.

"Laura, wait." He breathed as she dipped underneath, following the smattering of hair that trailed down from his navel. She ignored his plea and quickly divested him of his boxers, rising up on her knees just long enough to push the fabric down. He gasped as she slipped her hand up his inner thigh and stroked her way through the curls surrounding his erection.

"Wait for what?" She asked in a soft voice as she watched the effect she was having on him play out on his face. His breathing was quick and shallow and his lips were slightly parted. His eyes were half closed but still fixed on her with nothing but want shining in them.

"Slow…" He started, then groaned as she circled a little closer and brushed his erection with the tip of her fingers. "Slow down…, He breathed. A sharp intake of breath cut him off as she closed her hand around him. "I want …." He started but stopped again as she squeezed lightly and stroked her way up his length.

"You want what, Commander?" She asked in a teasing tone as she felt him begin to rock his hips against her hand. He was in no position to provide her with a coherent answer though and she smiled, relishing in his complete and utter surrender to her. She drew it out as long as she could, alternating between a feather light caress and a firm grip until she had him on the very edge. Once she had him there she hesitated for a moment, then smiled wickedly. She withdrew her hands and sat back on his thighs. It took him a few moments to realize she'd stopped. He lifted his head off the pillow and looked at her, a light frown greasing his brow.

"Don't worry." She murmured, smiling. "I just want your full attention for this." She shifted a little further back and leaned forward. His breathing hitched as her hair brushed against his erection while she planted the first of a series of kisses on the inside of his thigh and slowly worked her way up. She grinned as she felt him shudder when she reached her final goal. She lifted her head ever so slightly and looked at him across his chest. His breathing was shallow, ragged even and his hands were gripping at the blankets underneath him. The muscles of his arms and legs were trembling, no doubt with the desire to take this game of hers to its final conclusion. He held back though and it was the look on his face, the absolute and complete surrender she witnessed there that made her gasp in turn. She kept her eyes on him as she closed her hand around him again and gently kissed the top of his erection before taking him into her mouth.

She heard him cursing in a hoarse voice as she took as much of him as she could. She slowly worked her way back up while running her tongue along a pulsating vein. When she reached the tip she briefly suckled it, drawing another hoarse curse from his lips. She looked up at him again and found him breathing hard.

"Don't do that, again." He growled once he had recovered his voice. Her hand was still closed around the base of his erection and she tightened her grip ever so slightly, sending another shudder through his entire body.

"Why not?" She asked sweetly.

"Because," He answered, taking another deep breath to steady himself. "I can't hold out if you do."

"That's more or less the point, darling." She answered in a whisper. She brushed the tips of her fingers gently along his length as she leaned forward, resting her other hand on his shoulder as she brought her face within an inch of his.

"Wasn't there something you wanted?" She asked.

"Yes." He breathed through clenched teeth, no doubt a response to the fact that she had tightened her grip again.

"What?" She asked as she dipped further down and nipped at his earlobe. His breath hitched and abruptly she felt his hands on her body again, gripping her waist tightly.

"I want you." He growled in her ear, "I want to bury myself inside you. Now." She had meant to play a little while longer. She found herself enjoying the absolute control she had over him, enjoyed creating this overpowering need for her within his body. But the strength of his grip on her and the way her own body responded to his voice growling in her ear told her that the time for playing was over. She pushed herself into a sitting position once more and rose up on her knees. She didn't bother removing her own panties, she didn't want to waste the time. Instead she simply pushed them aside and guided him into her slick folds.

His grip tightened as he growled and thrust up into her, pulling her down on top of him. She cried out in turn. Her body seemed to remember him perfectly and yielded without question to his penetration. Feeling him inside of her, filling her up, brought her to the edge in an instant and she felt her muscles close around him in response. Which caused Bill to growl again and buck up into her. She reciprocated by flexing her hips into his thrust, allowing him to penetrate her at a slightly different angle. Without a word they settled into a crushing rhythm, leaving not a single thought to restraint or control.

Within minutes she felt him shudder beneath her, and reveled in his hoarse shout as he thrust up into her one last time. His fingers dug into the flesh of her buttocks, no doubt leaving their mark. She hardly cared though as she surrendered herself to the ecstasy brought on by the sensation of his throbbing member buried deep inside of her. Moments later she collapsed on top of him and smiled as she felt his arms wrap around her, pulling her tightly against his chest. For a few moments they simply lay together, each catching their breath.

"That…" He whispered in her ear. "Was unfair."

"Are you saying you didn't enjoy it?" She asked in a teasing tone as she planted a soft kiss over his collarbone, flicking her tongue against his salty skin in the process. "Because I got the impression that you did."

"Oh, I did." He answered in a husky voice. His hand left her back and reached out to her face, brushing aside a few stray locks of hair. She looked up at him, smiling faintly.

"Stay?" He asked, his eyes suddenly serious. If he had asked her that particular question at any other time in the past three days, or for that matter the past six months, she would have told him no. And would have managed to make it perfectly clear the offer was never to be repeated. Tonight though there wasn't in a fiber in her being that could bear the thought of leaving the warmth of his embrace.

"Yes." She whispered, and rested her head on his shoulder, perfectly content to remain draped over his body. She closed her eyes, feeling the fatigue settling in her limbs. But when she felt his hand traveling down her spine and hip before slipping underneath the hem of her skirt she moaned softly.

"Don't get any ideas." Bill grumbled. "I'm not that young any more. But I thought you might like to take off your skirt now, even if it is a little late in the game." She sighed. He was right of course. She'd have to wear her skirt again tomorrow and it wouldn't do to sleep in it.

"You're right." She murmured but made no attempt to move.

"Laura?" He questioned after a moment.

"Give me a minute." She whispered back, "I'm just… tired."

"Laura." He whispered, his voice thick with concern and perhaps a hint of guilt.

"No." She murmured, "Don't blame yourself. I wanted this as much as you did." His grip on her body tightened slightly as he shifted underneath her. She let out a low groan as their hips separated from one another while he turned her over onto her back.

"Here." He whispered as he slid his hands down to her skirt. "Lift." He ordered softly and without bothering to even open her eyes Laura lifted her hips off the bed. His hands deftly opened the button and zipper and slid her skirt down her hips. All the while his fingertips traced over her skin in a feather light touch that made her breath hitch in spite of her fatigue. Especially when he stopped for a moment to toy with her panties

"Want to keep these on?" He asked, while he leaned down to peck a soft kiss on her stomach. "I'm afraid I've soiled them a little." The thought of his semen staining her underwear brought a smile to her face.

"Keep them." She answered. "I can always get rid of them later."

"Later huh?" He asked as he drew her skirt down the rest of the way.

"Later." She promised, then felt his weight shift again beside her. She opened her eyes in dismay as she realized he was climbing out of bed.

"Where are you going?" She asked, as she pushed herself up on one elbow. He had just pulled up his boxers but turned back to her as he noted the slight change of pitch in her voice. He sat back down and leaned over her, placing a soft kiss on her brow.

"I'll only be a minute." He promised, "I want to hang these up." He indicated the skirt he was holding as well as the rest of her clothes which lay strewn across the floor of his quarters.

"All right." She conceded reluctantly. "Just hurry." He smiled and reached around her, gently pushing her back down before bringing up the sheets and tucking her in.

"Naturally." He answered before he turned around. She watched him as he padded across his quarters. He picked up her clothes as well as his bathrobe and tanks. He even set her shoes together by the bed. He hung her suit in his closet, and she smiled at the thought of her clothes hanging next to his uniforms. He put his tanks into a laundry bag before coming back to the bed and climbing in next to her.

"You could have left those." She murmured as she reached one arm around his waist and fingered the waistband of his boxer.

"We'll get rid of them later." He answered, as he drew her against his chest and let her settle herself comfortably before tightening his hold. Laura let out a deep sigh of utter contentment as she nestled herself into his arms and drew a deep breath, drinking in his presence all around her. She fell asleep almost immediately.

_There… still not quite finished though… more to come (maybe one or even two chapters… ) and in order to keep the universe balanced we've got to have some more angst._


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 – Unexpected discoveries 

_Okay people, here we go again – sorry for the wait. Coming up is a bit of morning after angst and a lot of talk among the lower ranks… (inspired by that lovely little scene between Gaeta and Dualla that got cut from 'A day in the life') I'm being more than a little longwinded so please… bear with me…_

When she opened her eyes she found herself lying on the damp forest floor staring up at the green canopy.

"What are you doing, Laura?"

She closed her eyes at the sound of Leoben's voice and for a moment wished she could go back to reality.

"What do you want now, Leoben?" She asked as she pushed herself up off the ground and brushed the dirt off her arms.

"I want you to see." She looked up, weary of a repeat of the events that had transpired the previous night.

"I did see." She answered. "I warned him, I'll make him take precautions."

Leoben shook his head, a somewhat sad expression on his face. A thread of worry wormed its way into her heart and she glared at the Cylon.

"What is it?"

Leoben ignored her question as he rose and offered her his hand. She scowled at it for a long moment, knowing what would happen the moment she took it. And yet she still took his offer. A moment later she was standing in Galactica's CIC.

It took her a moment to realize that this was not the exactly the same as before. This time the room was literally brimming with activity. It seemed to be a celebration of sorts. She watched as crewmembers hugged each other and cheered. Standing at the center of the room was Bill, smiling faintly as he looked up at those around him.

"They need him, Laura." Leoben said, with absolute certainty. "Without him they'll never reach Earth. If he dies, so does the human race."

"I know." She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that the survival of mankind wouldn't be safe in Baltar's hands, humanity needed his leadership.

"No, you don't know. For once, I'm not speaking in metaphors. There will come a time when humanity's children will visit all your sins upon you, on the world of old born anew. And he will come to your rescue, falling from the sky, cloaked in fire. But only he will come, no other will dare to defy the Gods in such a manner. And no other will be worthy of their blessing."

Laura glanced at Leoben, she was worried but couldn't help a wry smile from coming to her lips. "So, no metaphors huh?"

Leoben didn't smile though and gripped her arms tightly. "Save him now, or you all die."

A shiver traveled down her spine as she looked up into those cold grey eyes.

"Wait for this moment, Laura." He said, nodding towards the scene of celebration around them.

She glanced over her shoulder and noticed four shadows moving among the cheering crewmembers. A sense of foreboding settled in the pit of her stomach as she watched. They went unnoticed and untouched as they made their way to the center of the room. Where a fifth shadow had appeared, standing across from Bill at the plotting table.

They surrounded him but he didn't seem to notice. She heard the harsh clicking of several weapons being armed and realized with a flash of horror that the sound came from those four shadows.

"Execute." The word was a whisper spoken by a disembodied voice barely loud enough for her to hear. But she did hear, as clearly as she heard the gunshots that followed. She screamed as the shadows exploded and enveloped the entire world in darkness.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

She awoke with a start and for a moment struggled against the hands closed around arms.

"Laura! Calm down."

It took a moment before she recognized the voice that was pleading with her to calm down.

"Bill?" She asked, looking up at him. A wave of relief passed through her and she relaxed in his embrace.

He drew her against him. "Bad dream?"

"Yes." She pulled back a little. "We need to talk."

He looked at her for a moment, his expression unreadable, in the end he acquiesced with a nod.

"Mind if we talk over breakfast?"

"No." A note of disappointment crept into her voice. "Is it time for breakfast already?" She needed to talk to him but part of her didn't want to leave the safety and comfort of his bed.

"In a little while. If you want you can take a shower first."

"Oh, that sounds good," she murmured but made no attempt to move.

After a few moments he chuckled softly and kissed her on the top of her head. "I know, my love, I'd like nothing better than to stay here all day with you too but we have responsibilities."

She lifted her head and looked at him. "Say that again."

"What?" He asked, puzzled. "About our responsibilities?"

"No, before that."

"Oh," he smiled as it dawned on him what she meant. "My love."

She smiled and reached out to brush her fingertips over his bottom lip. He leaned forward a little and pressed a soft kiss against each one.

"I like that." She whispered.

"I like that I get to say that."

She slipped her hand to the back of his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. It started out slow, soft and sweet but quickly grew more passionate. She groaned softly as she felt his arm tighten around her waist, pulling her more firmly against his body. When they finally broke apart they were breathing heavily. For a moment they held still.

"We do this, you won't have time to shower," he murmured. "Breakfast is delivered at 0600 hours."

"Are you saying you're not up to this, Commander?" she teased.

His only response was a low growl as he rolled on top of her. He supported his weight on his elbows as he leaned down and claimed her mouth in a searing kiss. His hips gently rocked against her, allowing her to feel just how very up he was. She responded in kind, wrapped her arms around his neck and hooked one leg over his hip as she lost herself completed in their kiss.

"Woman," he finally whispered in a husky voice. "You are going to drive me crazy. And I really think you should take that shower."

"Why?"

"Because it's not a good idea for you to go out in public looking like this."

When she raised an eyebrow at him he realized how it must have sounded to her and quickly covered.

"I mean, you look beautiful but…"

She watched him squirm for a moment and managed a very level tone of voice in spite of the fact that she was working hard to keep a smile from forming. "But what?"

"But you look like…"

"Like I've been well frakked." she finished when he faltered.

He sighed with relief as he noticed the glint in her eyes. "Yes, you do."

"Well, alright then. Let's go."

"Go?"

"Yes, you need a shower as much as I do."

"Me coming with you isn't going to help with that look."

"There isn't much of anything that's going to help with this look." she answered and nudged his shoulder. "Now come on, roll off."

He smiled and move to the edge of his rack. As he turned his back she noticed the livid marks on his shoulders.

"Bill?" She breathed, reaching out and touching her fingers to the breaks in his skin. "Did I do that?"

"Don't worry about it," he turned and wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her closer to the edge of his bed. "I gave as good as I got."

She glanced down and watched him fit his hands over the bruises that were already beginning to show on her hips. She smiled. "I see. I'd say we're even then."

-

They stayed in the shower until the water ran cold and breakfast had already been set out on the dinner table when they finally emerged.

"This is breakfast?" she asked. She turned to look at him and smiled as she watched him struggle with a towel that was really too small to cover him properly, a consequence of the fact that he had leant her his bathrobe.

He glanced over at the dining table. "Yes. Why, what's wrong with it?"

"Coffee and noodles? This is what you have for breakfast?"

He smiled. "I don't start a day without it."

She shook her head and poured herself a cup of coffee before sitting down. She watched as he got dressed and pushed a cup of coffee his way when he came to the table. Once he sat down she took a deep breath. She'd like nothing more than to enjoy a quiet breakfast with him, but there was business to discuss. He must have seen the change in her demeanor because he frowned ever so slightly.

"Don't ruin this."

"I have to."

"Why?"

"Because I need to be sure you're safe."

"I'm fine, Laura."

"And I want you to stay that way."

He sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm the Commander of a Battlestar. I'm surrounded by my own crew, all military. There isn't a safer place in the fleet. No one is going to get to me."

"Sharon did."

His jaw clenched and for a moment something flashed across his face, it was gone too quickly for her to identify, but whatever it was it put him on edge.

"I meant what I said last night, Bill," she pressed. "I want you to get a marine guard, I want them to report to Tigh and I want the Colonel to report to me."

Everything in his demeanor from his squared shoulders to the set of his jaw told her he was less than happy with her demands. "Fine," he growled after a moment. "If it makes you feel better…"

"No." She answered, her voice sharp. She took a brief moment to get it back under control. "I don't want you to do this for me. I want you to do it because you understand the danger."

He released a frustrated sigh. "I don't. I'm sorry Laura, but I don't believe. These dreams of yours, they're just dreams to me."

It stung to have him say that, especially after everything that had happened on Kobol. But she couldn't very well force him to believe. "Then look at logically." She reasoned. "You're a prime target for the Cylons. And there are still humanoid models we don't know about. Besides, Cylons aren't the only ones you have to watch out for."

"What's that supposed to mean?" He asked, annoyance creeping into his voice.

"It means that you're not as popular with the rest of the fleet as you are with your own crew, Bill. You don't leave Galactica often enough to see it but it's true. There are a lot of people out there that would take a shot at you if given the chance."

For a moment the tension sat heavy between them. In the end he shook his head and grumbled. "Fine."

He was humoring her and she knew it. She wondered if she should tell him of the dream she'd had last night and the words of warning Leoben had imparted but she doubted it would do much good. And yet she couldn't resist the need to try and make him understand.

"Bill…" she started.

"Laura!" he snapped. He closed his eyes for a moment, struggling to regain his composure.

"I'll do as you ask," he stated in a much softer voice as he looked up once more and met her gaze. "I'll be careful, I'll even arrange for a marine detail to follow me around. Now can we drop this subject? Please?"

Realizing that it was pointless to push him any further Laura settled back, cradling her cup of coffee in both her hands. He sighed quietly before settling back himself.

For a brief moment he allowed the silence to stretch between them as he struggled with his emotions. It still worried him at times how easily she could strip him of his control. He'd never met a woman who evoked such powerful emotions with only the slightest effort on her part. A single, well placed remark could have him boiling with anger and frustration and within mere moments she could replace those feelings with affection and love, simply by giving him a smile.

He knew that his unwillingness to believe in the Gods was a source of frustration and confusion to her. And although he by no means denied what had happened on Kobol, he could not find it in himself to have faith as she did. He was too practical a man for that. Faith was no good for a military man. Relying on faith rather than cold hard facts could get one's crew, one's family killed.

It was this aspect of her that on occasion still managed to frighten him. Knowing that she had risked Kara's life and the survival of the entire fleet on nothing more than a leap of faith. He'd forgiven her for her actions but that didn't mean he'd stopped worrying, knowing that she would do it all again in a heartbeat should a similar situation occur. Forcing such worrisome thoughts to the back of his mind he leaned forward and placed his elbows on the table.

He had taken notice of the fact that she was still only cradling her cup of coffee. "Would you like something to eat?"

Laura shook her head, causing a flash of concern to cross his face.

"You've got to eat, Laura."

She smiled wanly. "I'm not all that hungry."

She noticed the rather stubborn look that settled on his face and suppressed a sigh. Raising a hand to forestall the argument that she saw coming a mile away she asked if he had anything closer to a normal breakfast in his quarters. He managed to scrounge up something for her and watched closely as she nibbled at her breakfast.

She wasn't in the least bit hungry but forced herself to eat simply to avoid the argument that would ensue if she didn't. There had been enough of that this particular morning and she had no desire for more. The silence hung between them until she finished eating and got up. "I should be getting back to Colonial One."

He nodded and rose. "I'll walk you to the hangar deck."

She frowned and started to shake her head but before she could begin to voice her objections he reached out and gently placed a finger against her lips.

"Don't fight me on this," he whispered. "My crew can be discrete, there's nothing to worry about."

Her resolve quickly melted away when he replaced his finger with his mouth. And she opened to the gentle pressure of his lips against hers. Every argument she'd had tumbled out of her mind once he deepened the kiss. She found her arms going up to circle his neck of their own volition, she moaned as his hands grasped her waist and pulled her closer to his body. When they finally parted they were both breathing hard.

"I should…" She started in a breathless voice but stopped when she realized that for once she couldn't recall what it was she should be doing. All she could think of was what she wanted to do.

"You should go and get dressed." He offered even though he wanted the same thing she did. She nodded but didn't extract herself from his embrace just yet. It took a moment before they managed to step away from one another. Laura sighed and turned towards the private area of his quarters to change.

She reemerged fifteen minutes later and found him waiting for her, flipping through some of the reports that had been delivered along with breakfast. He looked up as she approached and offered her a warm smile and his arm. She returned the smile as she took his arm, allowing him to escort her through the door and into the corridor.

-

"Will you look at that." Hotdog said.

"What?" Racetrack snapped. She was on her back below her Raptor searching in vain for an oil leak that was plaguing the hydraulics system. Hotdog so far had not felt compelled to help her and stood leaning against the side of the Raptor, offering stray comments on the activities of the deck crew.

"It seems our Commander-in-Chief had an interesting night."

Racetrack frowned for a moment and then slid out from under the Raptor to glare up at Hotdog. "What are you talking about?" she demanded.

Hotdog didn't answer but nodded across the hangar deck. Following his gaze Racetrack found herself looking at the President and the Commander walking arm in arm towards the President's shuttle.

"When did she get here?" racetrack asked. She'd been on the hangar deck since 0500 that morning and she hadn't noticed the President arriving.

"She arrived late last night," Hotdog answered. "Really late."

Racetrack looked up at the pilot and found him grinning lusciously. She grabbed a dirty rag off the deck and started to try and clean her hands while she got up. "How late?"

"After last call." Hotdog answered, meaning the last round of drinks in the pilot's lounge. Although the time of that particular event tended to vary, it was always well past midnight.

Racetrack frowned, stuffing the rag into a side pocket of her uniform she crossed her arms and watched as the Commander and President came up on her shuttle. They stood together for a few moments, apparently discussing something that was probably classified, if the proximity of their bodies was any indication.

Hotdog chuckled. "Now do you believe me?"

"Believe what? This ridiculous idea of yours that they're somehow involved?"

"Oh come on." Hotdog said. "You can't deny it. I mean for Gods sake, she arrives on Galactica after last call, spends the night and now the Old Man is escorting her back to her shuttle? Get your head out of your ass, Racetrack, they're frakking like wild rabbits."

Racetrack punched Hotdog in the arm much like she had done three days earlier and didn't pull her punch either. Hotdog huffed and rubbed his arm, moving out of her reach.

"Get your head out of the gutter, Hotdog," Racetrack snapped. "The woman's ill. The Old Man would never take advantage of her like that." But although Racetrack spoke with conviction she couldn't help but wonder as she watched the two of them standing so close together. It didn't take long before they parted company and the President climbed into her shuttle. The Commander stepped back but waited and watched as the deck gang maneuvered the shuttle over to a deck lift. It wasn't until after the shuttle had disappeared from view completely that he turned and left.

"I know I'm right." Hotdog muttered angrily, just loud enough for her to hear.

"Oh, shut the frak up and help me find that leak." Racetrack snapped as she once more lowered herself to the deck. She shook her head, hoping to clear her head of the doubts that Hotdog had managed to plant. Sliding up under the dark metal of the raptor she mused. _Maybe I should just go and talk to Dee. If there is something going on she'll know._

-

It took Racetrack the better part of the day to track down Dualla. When she found her the young woman was sitting in the mess hall, picking at her rations pack while making notes on a pad.

"Mind if I join you?" Racetrack asked even though she'd already pulled up a chair and was sitting down well before she finished her request.

"Not at all." Dee answered with a wry smile. The communications officer knew better than to try and stop a pilot from doing whatever they pleased.

"I need to talk to you." Racetrack said, leaning in closer and lowering her voice.

Dee's interest was peaked now and she leaned in closer as well, pricking her ears. "What about?"

"Is there something going on between the Commander and the President?"

Dee blinked at the bluntness of the question but answered almost before it completely registered. "No, of course not."

"Are you sure?" Racetrack asked. "And if not then what was the President doing here last night?"

"She was here last night? When?"

"Hotdog said she arrived after last call. She left this morning, after the Commander escorted her to her shuttle."

This time Dee frowned. "There were no meetings planned, certainly not that late. And she wasn't on the roster for guest quarters either. Are you sure she didn't just arrive for an early meeting?"

"Then it was a really early meeting because I've been on the hangar deck since 05h00 and I didn't see her arrive. I only saw her leave."

Dee frowned and settled back in her chair. "You know," she said. "Something odd happened this morning."

"What?" Racetrack asked, leaning further across the table.

"The Commander ordered the Colonel to set up a personal marine guard for him."

Racetrack frowned. "That's not odd. That's good sense. He should have done that a long time ago." She shuddered as she thought back to that fateful moment not so long ago when she'd stood beside Boomer and watched as her fellow pilot put two bullets in the Commander's chest.

"I know," Dee answered. "But the odd thing is that he ordered the Colonel to report to the President's office on the matter."

"Really?" Racetrack asked, raising both her eyebrows. "He put her in charge?"

"When it comes to his security, yes."

"Now that is odd."

"I'll say," Dee answered. "Still… that doesn't prove anything is going on. Besides the two of them have been avoiding each another like a bad smell for days. No meetings, no phone calls, nothing."

"They certainly weren't avoiding each other this morning." Racetrack countered. "In fact they looked quite comfortable and…" Racetrack hesitated for a moment. She'd been about to say that the Commander and President had looked quite intimate but now wondered if she wasn't imaging things that weren't really there. When she glanced at Dee she found the young woman looking uncomfortable but also more than a little intrigued.

"You don't think that maybe… they had a fight?" Racetrack suggested. "And made up?"

Dee frowned, recalling what Billy had said about the President's behavior after the naming ceremony.

"Maybe." She offered. "Billy did say that the President was acting… odd. Must have been some fight though for them not to talk to each other for days."

"Must have been some make-up session." Racetrack answered and groaned as she realized that that was just the kind of thing Hotdog would have said.

Dee blushed, but by now she was seriously wondering what was going on between her superiors. "I could ask Billy," she suggested. If there was anyone close to the President it was him.

Racetrack nodded. "I'll talk to Kara." She added with some reluctance. Kara was about as likely to laugh in her face as she was to throw a mean left hook for even bringing up such a subject, but she was the best source of insider information with regards to the Commander.

-

"What?" Kara barked once she had recovered from the violent coughing fit following Racetrack's question. The hotshot pilot glared at Racetrack with watery eyes, still feeling the burn in the back of her throat where the liquor had taken a wrong turn.

"You're frakking kidding me." Kara spat. "Don't tell me you've actually been listening to Hotdog."

Racetrack kept a careful distance between herself and Kara Thrace. The initial reaction to the question had made her a little weary of the follow up and as Kara glared, she made sure to keep a watch on the blond woman's hands.

"Normally I wouldn't," Racetrack admitted. "I mean that guy's got his head in the gutter all the time, but there have been some odd things lately."

"Odd things? What odd things?"

"Well it seems that the President left with the Commander after the naming ceremony for the Blackbird."

"So? What's odd about that? They always have lots of stuff to talk about, fleet business and all."

"Yeah, but she was really upset afterwards and they didn't talk for three days. Then last night she came to Galactica – unannounced and after last call - and didn't leave until this morning."

"How would you know that?"

"I saw her leaving. The Old Man escorted her back to her shuttle and they seemed… fine. Stood real close together too, talking."

"That's just… you know, classified stuff other people shouldn't be hearing."

But Racetrack noted the slight frown now furrowing Kara's expression, so she pushed ahead.

"And then he orders Tigh to put together a personal marine guard, under the authority of the Presidential office."

Kara looked up in shock. "You're frakking with me."

"No," Racetrack answered. "Dee heard it. The Old Man put Tigh in charge but the XO's to report to the President."

"I didn't know that." Kara muttered.

Racetrack waited for a moment as she watched Kara mull over all these seemingly innocuous events. Utterly harmless if seen separate, however put together they painted a rather compelling picture.

"So," Racetrack said, drawing Kara's attention back to the present. "Dee and I were just wondering if maybe you… had noticed something. About the Old Man I mean."

"No," Kara answered almost immediately. "Nothing like that."

Racetrack fell silent for a moment, realizing that what she was about to say might ignite Starbuck's infamous temper. "Would you know? I mean, have you ever know him to… be like that before?"

Kara's eyes glittered with indignation. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Racetrack shrugged. "I don't know. It's just… I've been giving this some thought and if… and I'm saying if," she added once she noticed Starbuck's glare darken. "If they're involved, there would have to be something more than just an itch."

"An itch?" Kara growled in a dangerously low voice.

Racetrack shifted in her seat, well aware of the fact that she was talking about the man that Kara Thrace thought of as a father.

"He wouldn't just be doing this for the sake of a good frak. Hell, the woman's dying of breast cancer, if it's just a good frak he wants there are more than enough women willing to lend a hand. Women that aren't dying."

For a moment Racetrack allowed her thoughts to wander in that particular direction. It wasn't a line of thought she entertained often but it had occurred to her that she wouldn't be completely opposed to the idea of scratching that particular itch with the Commander. He was her senior by more than three decades and not the most handsome man in the fleet, not to mention her commanding officer, but there was something about him. It might be the carefully controlled sense of power he exuded or the fact that she could still see that he had once been as handsome as Lee or maybe it was something else entirely, she couldn't be sure. Shaking her head to clear the idle thought she looked at Starbuck.

"You're saying he's in love?" Kara asked, incredulous.

Racetrack shrugged. "I'm saying that _if_ they're involved, it's a possibility, a very good possibility. And I was just wondering if you'd know."

For a long moment Kara said nothing when she finally did speak up it was in a voice so low that Racetrack could barely make it out. "I don't know."

-

Last call had come and gone but Kara was still sitting in the lounge. A bottle of Tyrol's homebrew stood on the table but she hadn't touched it since her talk with Racetrack. That particular talk had quenched all desire for alcohol and had kept her sitting in her chair, mulling over things again and again.

In the end she'd admitted to Racetrack that she simply didn't know. And she didn't. She'd only met William Adama after Zack's death and by that time his marriage to Carol-Anne had already been on its last legs. Zack's passing had simply been the killing blow. She knew he'd loved his wife but the divorce had not been pretty and she seriously doubted that any romantic feelings had remained after that ordeal was finally over.

He loved Lee and her as well, but that was not the kind of love that Racetrack had been talking about. Thinking back Kara had to admit that she might never have seen William Adama in love and wondered if she would recognized it. Was he in love? With Laura Roslin of all people? The notion seemed completely ridiculous and yet Ractrack had presented some rather compelling arguments forcing Kara to admit that she had wondered at times about the exact nature of the relationship between her CO and the President.

Not that she'd ever considered something quite this radical, but there had been some significant changes in the way the two most powerful people in the fleet dealt with each other. Kara knew for a fact that the Commander hadn't liked Laura Roslin one bit before the attacks and he hadn't exactly been thrilled about her assuming the Presidency either. Then of course there was the mess surrounding Kobol, certainly there had been no warm and fuzzy feelings involved in that particular debacle. And yet he had come back for them. She'd always thought it had been because of Lee and herself, but with Racetrack's suggestion running through her brain she wondered if Laura Roslin's presence on the planet might have played a part.

"Oh come on." Kara growled to the empty room. "It's just a load of crap." She shook her head and got up out of her chair, telling herself hat it was all nonsense. Nothing more than Hotdog's twisted mind spouting forth filth.

"Nothing at all to worry about, Kara." She muttered to herself as she took the bottle and started the trek to her rack. "You'll see, you have a meeting with the two of them in three days, you can check for yourself." Nodding one final time Kara forced herself to believe her own words.

-

At about the same time that Racetrack dragged Starbuck into a secluded corner, Anastasia Dualla knocked on the doorsill leading into the Presidential office.

"Come." Billy called after a moment and Dee stepped inside.

"Dee?" Billy asked sounding both surprised and delighted at the same time. She smiled at the young man.

"Hello Billy." She said before saluting the woman behind the desk.

"At ease, Petty Officer." Laura Roslin said with a warm smile, then turned to Billy. "Why don't you take the Petty Officer and get something to eat, Billy? I can finish up by myself."

For a brief moment Billy hesitated, unwilling to leave his boss but one look at Dee decided it for him. "Are you sure, Madam President?"

"I'm sure." She answered, waving him away. "Go, have some fun."

"Thank you, Madam President." Dee said as she took Billy's arm and started to pull him back, out of the office. About fifteen minutes later they were sitting in the easy chairs near one of the portholes, nibbling away at a shared meal that Billy had wrangled out of the kitchen.

"This is nice." Billy said. "You visiting me for a change."

Dee shrugged, blushing ever so slightly with just a hint of guilt. It was true that she didn't come to Colonial One nearly as often as Billy came to Galactica. But then it was easier for them on Galactica. There was more room, more privacy and they were surrounded by her friends, but it wasn't always easy for Billy to do all the traveling in their relationship. She liked Billy, liked spending time with him, but the real reason for her being here tonight had more to do with her curiosity about their respective bosses than it did with him.

"Actually," She said, feeling the blush deepen. "There was something I wanted to talk to you about."

"Oh? What?"

"Do you remember the conversation we had a few days ago? When you came to Galactica because you were worried about the President and thought that maybe she and the Old Man had been arguing again?"

"Yes." Billy felt a blush creep up on him. As a matter of fact he'd been thinking about that conversation all day. Especially after the President had returned from Galactica early that morning in a far better mood than when she'd left late last night.

Dee noticed the blush and leaned forward in her chair. "Billy, what is it?"

"Nothing."

"Come on, Billy." Dee pushed. "I know the President went to Galactica late last night and didn't come back till this morning. So what happened?"

"I don't know." Billy answered, keeping his gaze on his hands.

Dee watched him for a moment, deciding whether or not to believe him. But the way he was sitting next to her, blushing and avoiding her eyes told her he did know something. "I think you do know. Something's obviously bothering you."

"No," Billy started. "It's just…"

"Spill it." Dee said. "Where'd she go so late?" Billy wrung his hands together before he finally looked up.

"You can't tell anyone about this."

"I won't." Dee promised.

"She went to see the Commander."

Dee let out a breath she hadn't even realized she'd been holding. "After last call? He had to have been asleep."

"He was, she woke him up."

"Why?"

"I… I think she had a dream… you know… one of those dreams. She woke up screaming and really upset and when she calmed down a little she said she wanted to talk to… to the Commander."

Dee noticed the slight hesitation in the last part and frowned. "Billy?"

Billy's blush deepened further. "She said she wanted to talk to Bill."

Dee blinked. She knew the Commander's first name was William, Bill for short, but she'd never actually heard anyone but Colonel Tigh use it.

"I didn't even realize at the time. But then she came back this morning and she was…."

"Happy?" Dualla ventured, recalling the genuine warmth she'd seen in Laura Roslin's smile only a short while ago. If Billy's account of her behavior over the last few days had been correct then such smiles had been scarce. And the Commander had maybe been just a tad more relaxed this morning compared to the previous few days.

"Yeah. Still a little worried I think but… happier." He looked up at Dee. "What do you think it means?"

Dee loved the way he looked at her then, almost pleading with her to tell him it wasn't true. It wasn't that he didn't want to see his boss happy, far from it, it was just the thought of how exactly she had gotten so happy that was bothering him.

"More likely than not the Commander and the President are involved. If not in an emotional relationship than at least in a physical one." Racetrack's observations combined with what Billy had just said made that pretty obvious. "And I think it means we leave them alone."

"Really?" Billy frowned with worry. "But what if the press finds out or _- Gods forbid_ - the Quorom?"

"Well, then we'd better make sure that doesn't happen." Dee said with calm certainty. The press or Quorom finding out about this would definitely be bad but it wasn't nearly the worst of their concerns. Above all else Dee found herself wondering what would happen to the Commander once the President's illness ran it's final course.

"If they're happy, who are we to interfere?"

Billy looked at her for a moment but in the end he nodded slowly. "I suppose you're right."

For a long while they sat and ate together in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. After they'd finished the meal Dee got up. "I should be getting back, I have an early shift tomorrow."

"I'll walk you."

They made their way through the ship until they found themselves in the deserted hangar bay. Almost everyone had turned in for the night.

"You know." Dee said as they approached the waiting raptor. "We could… lend them a hand. Help make sure that no one else figures it out."

Billy frowned at her. "How?"

"Oh I don't know." Dee said with a shrug. "Maybe… next time the President wants to come over to Galactica in the evening she could ask for a Raptor to pick her up. It would be better than having her shuttle sitting on Galactica's deck all night. And I think I know a pilot or two who will keep their mouth shut about it."

"I see…. And maybe you could… book her some guest quarters?"

Dee nodded, that was actually a good idea. It would provide a good cover story for both the press and the Quorom and it wasn't like anyone would come and check whether or not the President actually slept in her guest quarters.

"And maybe you could rearrange her schedule a little? Shift any meetings on Galactica to the early morning, or late in the evening? I'll do the same for the Commander's schedule."

Billy nodded and a small smile even crept out onto his face. "I think I can manage that."

"Good." Dee muttered. "Because I do think they deserve this."

Billy smiled even though a hint of a blush appeared. "You do realize don't you that I'll never be able to keep a straight face now if I have to sit in on a meeting between the two of them."

Dee laughed and rose up on her toes, pecking him on the cheek. "I'm sure you'll manage. Besides, odds are they're not going to notice. They'll be far too busy with each other."

Billy groaned and she gave him a gentle smile.

"Bye, Billy. I'll call you in the morning to work out the schedule." Billy waved to her and stepped back as the raptor started to power up.

-

When Dee stepped out on the hangar deck she wasn't at all surprised to find that Racetrack was waiting for her.

"I'd heard you shuttled over to Colonial One." The pilot said as she fell into step with Dee. Dee waited until they'd cleared the hangar deck before answering.

"I talked to Billy."

"And?"

"It's probably happening."

Racetrack released a heavy sigh. "Well, I'll be damned."

"Did you talk to Starbuck about it?"

"Yeah, but she didn't know anything."

"But she knows now right?"

"She'll probably figure it out soon enough, if it's really happening." Racetrack frowned. "Why do you ask?"

"Because I need a couple of pilots willing to help out. I take it you're game, maybe Hotdog too, with Starbuck I'd have a good number of people. Billy and I are redoing their schedules, and there are some other things we need to take care of."

Racetrack continued to frown at the petty officer for a moment longer until it dawned on her what Dee was talking about.

"Why you…" Racetrack started, then laughed. "I'd never have pegged you for the scheming type."

Dee shrugged, but couldn't help a small smile from appearing. "I'd like to think of myself as the romantic type." She answered, looking at the pilot. "So, are you in?"

"Oh, I'm in, and I'm sure Hotdog is too, although we might have to hurt him a little to keep him civil. Starbuck will probably want to help once she figures it out."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Dee, what's this?"

Petty Officer Dualla looked up to find the Commander had come to the new schedule that she and Billy had worked out that very morning. She'd just slipped it to him underneath a pile of reports. Endeavoring to keep a straight face she answered his question.

"Your new schedule for the week, sir."

"I can see that. Why did you change it?"

"It's more efficient this way, sir."

For a long moment Commander Adama looked at the Petty Officer, searching her face. When he could find nothing there save the tiniest of smiles he once more turned his attention back to his roster. He'd noticed at first glance that some serious rearranging had been done and wondered how much more efficient it could possibly be especially since some of his days had become considerably longer. But when he looked closer he noticed the majority of the meetings that had been changed were with the President. Almost all of them had been moved to either the beginning or end of his day.

He frowned and looked up, just in time to catch a delighted smile before Dee managed to school her expression. That did it. His frown eased as he realized that Dee must have figured out what was going on between him and Laura.

"I take it you've… coordinated this with Mr. Keikeya?"

"Yes sir, and Billy will appraise the President of the changes, sir."

"I see." He answered. "If that's all you're dismissed, Petty officer."

"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir." Dee saluted before she turned and started to leave his quarters. She stopped when she heard him calling after her. When she turned she found a very rare smile had appeared on his face.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, sir."

_Okay now that we've completed the detour, back to our favorite couple _


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6 

It was two days later before the scheduling changes paid off for the first time and Billy was walking down to the hangar bay with the President, while they went over the details of a piece of legislation that was to be presented to the Quorum the following afternoon. When they got to the hangar bay the President started towards her shuttle.

"Ma'am." Billy called, "We won't be taking the shuttle."

Laura Roslin looked up in surprise. "Why not?"

Billy blushed a little and avoided her gaze as he nodded towards the Raptor that was sitting in the bay. "I called over a Raptor instead." Billy's gaze drifted to his shoes as he continued in a softer voice. "And I… we, that is Dee and I… arranged for guest quarters on Galactica for the night, seeing as how you have a briefing with the Commander and Lieutenant Thrace in the morning."

For a long moment Laura Roslin said nothing as she stared at her blushing aid. Then she laughed. "So that was what all the scheduling changes were about." She stepped forward and took the young man's arm. If at all possible he blushed even more.

"Well…" He stammered. "Dee and I thought that… maybe…. If you don't…."

"Don't worry about it, Billy," she squeezed his arm. "And thank you."

She stepped aboard the Raptor and was greeted by a joyful smirk from one of the pilots.

"Good afternoon, Madam President."

Digging around in her memory for his name she only managed to come up with his call sign. "Good afternoon, Hotdog."

"Ma'am." The pilot said, nodding from her seat.

Recognizing the young woman Laura smiled. "Lieutenant Edmonds."

"Please take a seat and strap in. We'll have you aboard Galactica in no time at all."

The Lieutenant kept true to her word and after a smooth flight set the Raptor down on Galactica's hangar deck. A moment later Laura stepped out and turned, waiting for Billy to follow. She noticed that Hotdog was smirking yet again.

"Have a nice meeting, ma'am."

She frowned ever so slightly and nodded. Just as she turned away with Billy she heard a quiet slap and a pained grunt.

"What the frak was that for?" Hotdog demanded.

"I told you to keep a civil tongue in that mouth of yours." Racetrack stated in a low voice.

"I did." Hotdog exclaimed. "I was the perfect gentleman." The Lieutenant's response to that comment was lost on Laura as they walked away.

"I'm sorry, ma'am." Billy offered. A little dismayed she looked over at her aid, who was blushing again. She on the other hand was working hard to keep her own blush from showing.

"Does everyone know?"

"Oh, no! No, not at all." Billy hurriedly assured her. "So far just me, Dee and Lieutenants Edmonds and Costanza."

"So far?" She asked with trepidation.

"Yes, ma'am, please don't worry. We've got it under control."

She didn't respond, unsettled at the thought of other people knowing what she and Bill were up to, even if it was just Billy, Dee and two pilots. But she trusted Billy and if he told her he had it under control she'd believe that.

The walk to the Commander's quarters was quick and quiet and when they took the last turn Laura couldn't help but smile at the sight of the marines posted at the door. Her guard had been left on Colonial One, there was after all no need to double up on security if they were staying in the same room. She smiled at that thought and quickened her step.

The hatch had been left open but before she could enter Billy touched her on the shoulder.

"Here you go, ma'am." He offered her the reports she'd need for the meeting.

"You're not coming?" So far Billy had sat in on every single meeting she'd ever had. But before she had even finished the question she realized what the answer would be. She wasn't too surprised to see the color rising up in his neck again.

"I think you'll manage without me, ma'am."

"Yes, I think I will." She smiled. "Thank you again, Billy. And say hello to Dee for me."

"I will, good night, ma'am."

"Good night."

-

She closed and locked the hatch behind her before casting her eyes about his quarters. The light was low and soft with only his desk light on. He wasn't at his desk though and she ventured further inside, dropping her files on the coffee table.

"Hey." He said, startling her. She turned and found him holding out a glass of water to her.

"Hey." She answered and smiled as she took the glass.

Somehow they managed to get through the reports first, even if it was a struggle for both of them in the end. Finally the last report had been discussed and the last decision had been made. With a sigh of relief Laura dropped the file on the coffee table and sank back into the leather couch as she closed her eyes.

"Rough day?"

"No, not so much. Just a little surprising."

"How so?"

She opened her eyes and turned her head to the side to look at him. "Did you notice the schedule changes?"

"Ah, yes I did. It seems Petty officer Dualla conspired with your aid to set that up."

"It's a little bigger than that."

He drew up an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"Apparently Lieutenants Edmonds and Costanza are also in on it. They picked me up from Colonial One today. And it appears that guest quarters have been arranged for me, although I'm not actually expected to spend the night there."

"I see." A moment of silence followed before he ventured the question. "You're not worried about this?"

"Should I be? You're the one that said your crew could be discrete and I know Billy is."

"Alright then." Another long moment passed in silence.

"Bill?"

"Yes, Laura?"

"We have four people aboard this ship thinking that we got naked and sweaty at least two hours ago. And that is not counting the guards outside. We're not going to disappoint them are we? Because I'd really hate to disappoint my loyal constituents."

Somewhere during her monologue he started laughing and reached over, drawing her into his arms. She delighted in the feeling of his laughter as it shuddered through his chest and against her body. She deliberately waited until he stopped before brushing her lips against his.

Desire flared abruptly and before long they were lost in each other. She buried her hands in his hair, holding him close while they kissed. His hands wrapped around her waist and she pressed herself closer to his body, shifting her position until she was sitting in his lap, straddling his thighs. His grip on her waist tightened and for a moment he held her off.

"Laura…"

She squirmed in his lap when he wouldn't let her get any closer to him, holding her at bay with a firm but gentle grip. She moaned softly to protest this course of action.

"Bill…"

He took several deep breaths before looking at her. She swallowed when she saw the raw emotion in his eyes.

"Let me take it slow, Laura. I don't want to frak you, I want to make love to you."

Putting action to words he released her waist and reached up, winding his hands into her hair. Instead of tilting her head back to him for another kiss he started a gentle massage of her scalp. The hint of disappointment she felt was quickly drowned out by a flood of gentle warmth spreading down from her head and neck. She leaned into his caress and allowed her eyes to drift shut as he carefully worked away all the tension in her scalp before moving to her neck and shoulders.

Once she relaxed in his arms, he gently directed her head to his shoulder and worked his hands underneath her jacket, sliding over her silk covered back. Her arms came up around his neck and she released a content sigh as he deftly worked the knots out of her muscles.

"You're good at this."

Her breath whispered across his skin, sending a tingle down his spine straight to his groin. For a brief moment his hands stilled as he became aware of the fact that Laura was still straddling his thighs, her weight warm and comfortable against his chest. He forced himself to answer, if only to distract himself from his senses for a second. "Lots of practice."

"How so?"

He had not expected her to ask that particular question and stiffened before he could catch himself. She noticed and lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him.

"What is it, Bill?"

This was not a topic he wanted to address, ever, much less at this particular time. "It's nothing."

He avoided her gaze, hoping that for once she'd just let it slide. But she was having none of that and she sat up a little further, her hands sliding along his neck and cheeks to make him look at her. "Tell me."

In a last ditch effort to redirect her attention he slid his hands down her back and over her skirt, cupping her rear in his hands. He crushed her against his body, thrusting his own hips up against hers, letting her feel exactly what it was they were planning on doing here tonight. She gasped and for a moment those emerald colored eyes glazed over. Capitalizing on that small victory, he gripped her a little tighter and leaned in to kiss her.

She stopped him with a hand pressed against his chest. "Wait." Her voice was a little breathless though and he pushed on, brushing his lips against hers. She backed away from his touch and gave him a hard glare that told him in no uncertain terms that he'd better stop what he was doing. He relented and settled back against the couch.

"Now tell me." Laura Roslin demanded.

He closed his eyes. "My mother," he finally said. "She used to get headaches."

"Headaches?"

Her tone had softened considerably and he opened his eyes, forcing himself to look at her. "Near the end the painkillers didn't work so well anymore and my father…. He wasn't there much, so most of her care fell to me." He watched as realization dawned on her.

"Your mother had cancer."

He nodded.

"And you watched her die?" Her voice was nearly imperceptible now, soft and frail. In spite of the fact that this had to be hitting far too close to home, there was still nothing other than sympathy in her tone.

"Yes."

"How old were you?"

"Fifteen when she was diagnosed, at the end… eighteen."

"Oh Bill," she rested her forehead against his. "I'm sorry."

Something in her tone caught his attention and he drew back from her, looking at her sharply. "Sorry? What for?"

She blinked and something flitted across her face. It was gone too quickly to identify, but it only provoked him to hold her tighter, especially when she dropped her gaze to a spot somewhere along his collar.

"I'm sorry you lost your mother."

"That's not what you meant."

She squirmed in his lap again, but this time she was trying to get away and he wasn't about to let her. Wrapping his arms around her waist he crushed her to his chest, trapping her in his embrace.

"Tell me what you meant."

Her eyes flickered up to his face and he caught a glimpse of large panic stricken, green orbs before she lowered her gaze again.

"I… don't want you to have to go through that again, Bill."

A brief spike of anger coursed through him and he reflexively tightened his embrace. _Not this again, we've settled this_. Stepping hard on his anger, he leaned his brow to hers, mimicking her earlier gesture. He wanted to reassure her that there was no need to panic, no need to doubt.

"I love you, Laura, and I'm here to stay."

"I know that."

Her voice was so soft he barely caught her words and he almost missed the inflection, the hint of regret hidden in those soft spoken words. He recoiled from her, fierce pain stabbing at his heart.

"Laura…"

That pained gasp brought her eyes up to his instantly. She saw the pain shimmering there and cursed herself for being so careless to let slip a hint of her very last secret. But keeping that secret from him was turning out to be hard work, and she was just so very tired. Scrambling to fix this before it got any further out of hand, she grabbed hold of his shoulders.

"I love you." The ease with which she made the admission took her a little by surprise and it was a moment before she could continue. "My only regret is that we didn't do this sooner."

Slowly she felt the muscles in his shoulders relax a little. He was a perceptive man after all. He'd caught the regret in her voice earlier and he recognized her sincerity now, but he was not relenting just yet. He'd caught a glimpse of something she had no intention of revealing and if she wanted to distract him from that she was going to have to do better than a simple 'I love you'.

"We don't have much time left." She murmured. "Doctor Cottle gave me a month, at best."

"A month?" The dismay and shock were clear in his voice, immediately overriding any concern he might still feel. She hated herself for manipulating him like this but she wasn't going to risk their relationship until she was ready for it to end, which would be all too soon.

"Gods, Laura." His hands traveled up to cup her face as he gazed up into her eyes. The sheer intensity of his gaze took her breath away and she had to look away to keep from bursting into tears.

"Promise me you won't give up."

Her first reaction to his request was one of sheer horror. _Oh Gods, he knows. _But as her eyes snapped up to his face she found nothing there but love, not the anger she had expected to find if he knew. Unconsciously she sighed with relief when he spoke again.

"Promise me you won't give up hope."

She fully expected herself to be able to voice this final lie, she was an accomplished liar after all. It was a useful skill for a cabinet member to have, and it had been a dire necessity during her involvement with Richard. It wasn't as if she'd never lied to him, she had and she'd done it well. But now she found the words sticking in her throat, unwilling to flow from her tongue.

He brought her face down to his, lightly brushing his lips over her eyes and cheeks. "I'll be there for you every step of the way," He whispered against her skin. "You have to promise me you'll fight."

Instead of answering his demand she tilted her head and found her way to his mouth, deepening his gentle caress into a passionate kiss. He groaned softly and his hands slipped up to her neck, winding into her hair. Holding him close to her with one hand she slid the other down to his collar and fumbled with the buttons of his jacket.

"Promise me, Laura." He whispered against her lips. She ignored him and turned her attention to his chest, running her hands down across the soft fabric of his tanks, pushing his jacket away.

He lowered his hands from her hair, pushing at the collar of her jacket and blouse to gain better access to her neck. Nibbling his way across her collarbone, he divested her off her jacket, letting it slide to the floor. Her blouse soon followed suit. His hands slowly slid down her bare back, rubbing the tension out of her muscles.

Somehow they managed to make it to his rack although she had no recollection of the movement involved. All she could remember was the feel of his hands on her skin, his mouth trailing kisses down the slope of her neck and then the touch of cool sheets against her back. He withdrew for a moment to deal with his shoes, socks and belt before joining her.

They dispensed with the remainder of their clothes quickly and before long they were pressed together. Bill kept true to his promise and worshipped every inch of her skin with his hands, lips and tongue. She returned the favor, more than willing to lose herself completely in the sensations of their lovemaking in order to forget for a moment about secrets and lies to come. She was sure he had forgotten about his earlier request, lost as they both were in their passion, but she was proven wrong at the most pivotal moment.

They were both breathing hard, hearts racing and bodies aching for relief as he held himself poised over her, pressing up against her, a hairbreadth away from being were she needed him to be. He supported his weight on his elbows, leaning over her with passion and love shining in his eyes as he kissed her languidly.

"You owe me a promise, Laura." He whispered. Her eyes went wide with alarm but he missed her response as he bent down to kiss her neck.

"I need you to fight." He moved up from her neck and nibbled on her ear. "I need you to stay with me. I need you, Laura."

The raw intensity of his voice sent shivers down her back. Her arms tightened around his waist as she pushed her hips upward. "Please, Bill. I need you."

"Promise." He growled.

"I promise." Finally the lie escaped her lips, half sob and half gasp as he slowly pushed into her, taking her inch by inch. Her fingers dug into the muscles of his back and she closed her eyes, fighting back the tears.

She moaned as he moved in an escalating rhythm and wave upon wave of pleasure rolled through her body, breaking through all barriers. In the end she couldn't hold it in any longer and tears spilled down her cheeks as her orgasm slammed into her with surprising force. Holding onto him for dear life, she felt him drive into her depths to find his own release. His last push home and the sensation of him throbbing within her, spilling his life into her dying body, brought on a second release.

He collapsed and slid off to the side. Unwilling to let him go she rolled with him, keeping her legs wrapped tightly around his to hold him inside of her. He wrapped her in a crushing embrace and murmured sweet words of comfort into her hair as he soothed her body and mind with long, languid caresses. She fell asleep with the sound of his voice rasping into her hair and against her skin, telling her that he loved her.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Kara was early, quite possibly the first time in her life she had ever been early for a briefing, even if she was the one giving it. But then this was not like other briefings. This mattered a great deal to her.

She knew it wasn't going to be an easy sell. Hell, she was lucky the Old Man was even willing to hear her out on this. He knew as well as anyone that a rescue attempt of the resistance on Caprica was going to be damn near impossible, and unreasonably dangerous. And he was still willing to give her the benefit of the doubt and listen to her plan.

Kara set up the wardroom, pulling out the faded maps of Caprica and placing them on the table to illustrate her briefing. By the time she had everything set up, all she needed to do was wait. Never very good at sitting still, Kara paced the room and rehearsed her presentation. She realized full well that she wasn't exactly good with words. Oh, she never had any trouble expressing her thoughts, if anything she was too quick to speak her mind. But when it came to convincing people of something Kara had always preferred action over talk. Today however, that was all she had.

It might have been easier if it had just been the Old Man. If it was just the two of them there wouldn't be any need for ceremony or decorum and she could just tell him. With Laura Roslin present as well that was out of the question. The Commander always insisted the President be treated with all due honors, which precluded the more informal setting Kara would have preferred.

She turned abruptly as she heard the hatch opening and sprang to attention when she saw a marine poke his head in. Satisfied that there was no one else but her in the room, the marine stepped back and allowed the President and the Commander to pass before pulling the hatch closed behind him.

"At ease, Lieutenant." The Commander ordered as he stepped up to the table, ushering the President along by placing a hand at the small of her back. Kara relaxed her pose out of habit, without really having heard him. She was far too preoccupied with the small and seemingly innocuous gesture she had just witnessed.

She might not even have noticed it if not for the conversation she'd had with Racetrack three days ago. She had tried very hard to forget the whole thing but it had stuck with her regardless, simmering in the back of her mind. And now one small gesture had brought it to the forefront of her mind. It might be nothing more than the Commander extending a small courtesy to the President, except that his hand had lingered just a moment longer than absolutely necessary. And then there was the way she looked at him as his hand fell away. Just a glance really, but it spoke volumes.

"Lieutenant?"

She blinked and looked up, realizing that he'd already repeated himself once. "Sorry sir."

He frowned and seemed about to ask what was wrong. Unwilling to even begin to formulate an answer to that particular question Kara snatched up the proposal she'd written and handed it over. The Commander only glanced at the paper, he'd already read the draft and now skimmed through to see if she'd implemented any major changes. Then he handed it over to the President. In the process their hands brushed together. Neither one seemed to be aware of the fact that she was watching them as they looked at one another and shared a hint of a smile.

_They're going to have to be more careful than this._

She recognized the crystal clear timbre of a voice that so often came to her in the heat of battle, cutting through all the chaos in her mind, and telling her whether to twist left, right, up or down. That little voice in the back of her mind had saved her life on numerous occasions and had always refused to lie, no matter how much she might want to be lied to. And there was defiantly no denying it now.

_So be it then._

She added a mental shrug for good measure, a little chagrined that Hotdog of all people had noticed something was going on before she did. Another glance across the table told her Racetrack might not be far off the mark either. William Adama had always been a sensible man, in firm control of his emotions. He would never start something this personal for the fun of it, especially not with a dying woman.

-

Laura tried very hard to concentrate on the folder in her hands, but was distracted by the memory of his hand resting just above the curve of her backside. She glanced sideways and noticed that he'd folded his hands together, undoubtedly to keep himself from touching her again.

She was both grateful for and resentful of his restraint. Grateful because she knew that if he touched her again she might not be able to keep from returning the favor, which might lead to an embarrassing result. But resentful because she still wanted him to touch her, even if it was nothing more than a fleeting caress. It made her feel desirable and loved. She realized very well that she did not have many opportunities left to feel such emotions.

"Go ahead, Lieutenant." The Commander said.

Forcing herself to ignore the tingle his voice sent down her spine she put down the file and leaned forward over the plotting table, maybe if she could just avoid looking at him she might be able to keep her attention on Lieutenant Thrace.

"The resistance base camp is here, 300 clicks north of the only Cylon air base in the area. We can drop 7 raptors straight down through the Martok valley and be in and out before the Cylons have a chance to launch their raiders. The raptors return to Galactica with the resistance fighters and we jump the hell out of there. Simple."

The plan sounded simple enough to her but it did seem to have one glaring oversight. "Where is the fleet?"

From the way the Lieutenant stiffened Laura knew she'd touched upon a sore spot.

"The fleet will remain here. I've tasked seven vipers and one raptor to stay with them."

"Seven vipers?" She knew she had not been able to keep the surprise from her tone but hadn't really bothered. Seven vipers were hardly enough to protect a fleet of more than forty ships.

"And one raptor." Kara stressed the addition but Laura understood enough of military tactics to know that seven vipers and a single raptor might be capable of protecting the fleet when confronted with a single squad of Cylon raiders. Anything more than that and they were in for a whole world of hurt. Bill however had other concerns on his mind.

"Lieutenant, how many jumps will it take Galactica to reach Caprica?"

Kara shifted her feet a little but didn't drop her gaze. "241."

"241?" Laura echoed, casting a startled look at the Commander.

"That's conservative," The Commander said, looking over at her.

"And you know it." He added looking at Kara again. "Once you jump the red line, navigational error creeps into every single jump calculation that you make, it could take us twice that amount of time to actually find Caprica let alone land."

Kara gritted her teeth. "I understand the risks."

"Do you really?"

Something of the Lieutenant's composure slipped and her tone grew more adamant. "We have to try."

Recognizing that this was starting to get out of hand Laura tried to intervene. "Lieutenant, I respect what you trying to do here, however..."

"We have a duty to the people we left behind." Kara insisted.

"We understand that..." The Commander started but Kara broke in before he could continue.

"We have to find a way to jump back to Caprica and go get them…"

"Kara!"

A tense silence fell as the young woman stiffened at his snap. Before anyone could speak again the alarm sounded and Gaeta's voice came over the intercom.

"_Action stations, action stations, set condition one throughout the ship. This is not a drill."_

Kara hesitated for no more than a fraction of a second before dashing out of the room. While the Commander moved to the phone.

"Well, Madam President, it looks like you picked a hell of a day for a visit."

She smiled but he'd already turned his full attention to the phone.

"This is the Commander, sitrep."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_- This is unbelievable -_ Laura mused as she sat in his quarters again, nursing her drink. The whole morning had gone by in a rush once they realized who had appeared on their Dradis. Another Colonial Battlestar, the Pegasus. And here she was looking at Admiral Cain, the Commander of that Battlestar.

For the better part of the last hour they'd been talking as the Admiral explained how they had managed to survive the first assault and found the fleet. Her mind still tried to process it all and she didn't really pay attention when the Admiral got up, followed in short order by Bill.

"I'm sure you have quite a story to tell as well." Admiral Cain said. "But I won't make you go through it right this very minute, you can send over your logs when you get the chance."

"Yes sir."

Laura's head snapped up the moment she heard those words, without even really knowing why it bothered her so much to hear them. Except that they were words he had never spoken before. Not even to her. The Admiral noticed her sudden attention and glanced sideways.

"Something wrong?"

"No." Laura managed to say as she struggled to keep her confusion from showing.

"I sometimes forget about the rules of military protocol." She forced a weak smile to her face, in spite of the fact that a sudden sense of dread settled in the pit of her stomach. Bill glanced at her but didn't quite meet her gaze as he spoke.

"Admiral Cain is my superior officer, she will take complete command of the entire fleet."

Laura was forced to swallow the shock of that statement as her entire world tilted upon its axis and solid ground seemed to slide out from under her feet. And it was in that moment, when reality came crashing into her with breathtaking force, that she realized how different Bill had been acting ever since the Admiral had identified herself over the wireless. Laura had been so caught up in the excitement of finding another Battlestar that she hadn't noticed the way he'd distanced himself. How he'd stopped touching her, stopped looking at her, stopped trying to be near her. She'd been completely oblivious to the sudden shift of power that had taken place the moment Admiral Cain showed up. But that shift had already impacted her relationship with Bill Adama.

_Does this mean we can't be together anymore?_

That single thought rolled around her brain, pushing aside all others as desperation threatened to wash over her. She didn't want to let him go, couldn't bear losing him, not when they'd finally found one another. She tried to shove her personal feelings aside as she realized to her dismay that there was in fact an even larger issue at hand.

Before that very moment her own death had been something she could accept, secure in the knowledge that when she was gone Bill would take care of the fleet in spite of Baltar. Now she found that when she passed from this world into the next, she would be leaving the leadership of the fleet in the hands of a brilliant lunatic and a complete stranger.

She could hear Cain and Bill talking but didn't pay attention to them as she tried to work out the ramifications of this unexpected turn of events.

"Madam President," She looked up as Cain addressed her again. "You look like I just shot your dog."

Struggling to regain control over her features, Laura forced a smile that held absolutely no sincerity.

"No, I just..." She started as her gaze settled on Bill. "It's just that the Commander and I… we've been through a lot."

So much lay hidden within such simple words. Thankfully a knock on the hatch interrupted them before she lost her composure completely. As it was she'd already shown too much.

"Excuse me." Billy said as he stepped inside. "Madam President."

"If you'll both excuse me." She said, getting up. She came to stand in front of the two officers and directed herself to Cain. "Admiral, I can't tell you how grateful we are to have you here. Thank you for finding us."

Cain gave her a pleasant enough smile in response but Laura noticed how that smile didn't make it up to her eyes. Abruptly she turned her attention to Bill and for a brief moment when she met his gaze he allowed his feelings to show quite clearly in his eyes alone.

"Madam President." He muttered before lowering his gaze. She stood for a moment rooted to the deck. There was so much she wanted to say and do. So much that had been left unsaid and undone. She'd thought she had time, not much, but enough. And now, with the arrival of Admiral Cain, her time had been cut short. She couldn't bring herself to answer him. Didn't trust herself to speak so she forced herself to nod and turned away. Her feet felt like lead and her entire body ached as she left his quarters wondering if she'd ever be able to return to them again for anything other than fleet business.

Billy's hand on her arm was a small comfort but a poor substitute for Bill's. Somehow it was enough for her to make it to the hangar deck without breaking apart. She boarded the Raptor Billy guided her to, and sank into a seat.

"Madam President?" Billy asked as he cast a worried look at his boss. She looked awful, pale and withdrawn and all but oblivious to her surroundings.

"Ma'am?" He put his hand on her arm again. "You have to buckle in." Laura Roslin didn't seem to hear him and Billy helplessly glanced around to Lieutenant Edmonds, who stood a little further back, watching them.

"You do the start up sequence." Racetrack said to Hotdog.

Hotdog nodded, a happy smirk still plastered on his face. It had taken quite a bit of convincing on Racetrack's part to get him to leave the impromptu celebration that had burst out all over Galactica's hangar deck and the idiot had yet to take notice of the state of their passenger.

Racetrack on the other hand had known something was wrong the second Billy stepped out onto the hangar deck with the President by the arm.

"Here." She said as she knelt down next to the President and snapped the buckle shut herself. Once that was done she rose and took Billy by the arm, drawing the young aid off to the side.

"I don't understand." Billy whispered with concern. "What's wrong with her?"

"It's Cain." Racetrack answered.

"The Admiral? What about her?"

Racetrack sighed and wondered how she was going to explain this. Frankly it didn't surprise her that the lad was clueless. In fact most of Galactica's crew had yet to realize exactly what had happened.

"Cain is an Admiral." Racetrack stressed the title. "She outranks the Commander. Cain is now in command." She watched as understanding dawned on Billy's face.

"Oh." He muttered weakly, then frowned again. "What exactly does that mean?"

"First of all, it means the President will now have to deal with Admiral Cain when it comes to military matters. Second - and I think right now that's what's bothering her the most – this will seriously complicate her relationship with the Old Man."

"But, why?"

Racetrack shook her head for a moment, his naivety was endearing at times but right now it wasn't helping. "Do you know how it will look to the Admiral if she were to find out that the President and the Commander have been… seeing each other? She'll assume that the President is using sexual favors to secure the Commander's cooperation. Aside from the fact that she'll almost certainly throw the Commander in the brig, she could also impeach the President, declare martial law. If the Old Man has any sense at all, he'll break it off immediately."

"He did."

Both Billy and Racetrack turned, startled by the soft sound of Laura's voice.

"Oh, Gods. He did."

And a single tear slid down her cheek.


End file.
